
Glass JBX11S 
Book .^0^ 



EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW XXIV. 










u% sCttill dome ^gaiit." 



HIS 

(^lovions appearing 



AN EXPOSITION O? 



MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR 



REVISKD AND ILLUSTRATED. 



"What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the 
world ? "— DisciPi.ES. 

"When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, 
even at the doors." — jEisus. 



Fortythird Edition. — 350th Thousand. 



REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING ASSN. 

Washington, D. C. 

1904 



CONTENTS. 






INTRODUCTORY 

Divine Judgments Always Preceded by Warning 
CHRIST'S PROPHECY 

Persecution and False Prophets ., 

Iniquity Abounds 

The End 

WHEN SHALL THESE THINGS BE? . 

WHAT SHALL BE THE SIGN OF THY COMING? 

Days Shortened for the Elect's Sake 

Lo Here, and Lo There .... 

The Signs of Christ's Coming . . 

" The Stars Shall Fall " . . . , 

" The Powers of Heaven Shall be Shaken " . 
" Signs of the Son of Man " . 

The Resurrection . . . . . 

Parable of the Fig Tree . . . 

The Day and Hour . . . . . . 

Noah's Time and Ours ...... 

Peace and Safety . . 

The Final Separation . . . . . 

Watch ........ 

The Faithful and Wise Servant . 

The Evil Servant ...... 

CONCLUSION . 



page. 

5 

6 

13 

23 

27 

29 

33 

38 

47 

47 

51 

57 

72 

73 

77 

79 

81 

87 

91 

99 

99 

102 

105 

106 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Frontispiece . . .2 

Christ Weeping Over Jeru- 
salem . ... . 8 
Jesus on Mount of Olives 10 
Ancient Jerusalem . .16 
Martyrdom of John Huss 22 
The Crucifixion . . 24 
The Saviour's Ascension . 28 
Destruction of Jerusalem 34 
St. Bartholomew's Mas- 
sacre .... 40 
Martyrs Given to Wild 

Beasts . . . .42 

Taking the Pope Prisoner, 

1798 . . . . <- 44 

Dark Day of May 19; 1^780 52 
The Falling Stars .•' . 56 



Earthquake at Lisbon 

Modern Cyclone 

St. Pierre before Eruption 

OF Mont Pelee 
St. Pierre after Eruption 

OF Mont Pelee 
Assassination of President 

McKinley 
Lazarus at the Rich Man's 

Gate .... 
A Railroad Strike Riot 
A Forest Fire 
Revelry before the Flood 
The Day of Wrath . 
Peace on Earth . . . 
All His Holy Angels w^th 

Him .... 



PAGE. 

. 58 
60 



62 



63 
64 

66 

70 
82 



92 



108 



III e%ck» 



SEP 12 ^^^ 



INTRODUCTORY. 



THE impression prevails to some extent that he who 
teaches that Christ is soon coming is acting the rdle of 
an alarmist. If so, it is certain that the great Teacher 
has placed himself at the head of the class. No one has 
spoken more positively upon this point than he has done. 
He said, ''In my Father's house are many mansions: if it 
were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a 
place for you. And if I go, and prepare a place for you, I 
will come again, and receive you unto myself ; that where 
I am, there ye may be also." John 14:2, 3. There is 
nothing ambiguous about that language. A child can un- 
derstand it. It means that Jesus will come again. In the 
remarkable chapter that is here reviewed, the Saviour takes 
up the subject specifically, and not only affirms the fact of 
his coming, but foretells in explicit language the events 
which he would have us recognize as signs of the near 
approach of his coming and the end of the world. 

But the message of Christ's second coming is not sensa- 
tional in its essential character. It is a solemn, practical 
truth. It is full of warning and admonition to sinners and 
worldly professors, and full of comfort to the faithful fol- 
lowers of Christ. It is spoken of in the Scriptures as a fact, 
established upon the word which never fails. When speak- 
ing of his second advent, the Saviour said: ''Heaven and 
earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away." 
Matt. 24 : 35. To disbelieve in his coming would be to 
doubt one of the two great features of the gospel plan. 

What the harvest is to seed-time, Christ's second advent 

[51 



6 INTEODUCTOKY. 

will be to his first. To doubt that he ever came to earth 
would be to subvert the gospel. To disbelieve his second 
coming would nullify in the mind his first coming, and 
rob the sacrifice of its glorious reward. 

The apostle Paul speaks of the second advent as " that 
blessed hope." Titus 2:13. Jesus sajs, ''And when 
these things [the signs of his coming] begin to come to 
pass, then look up, and lift up your heads ; for your re- 
demption draweth nigh." The prophet Isaiah anticipates 
the feelings of God's people who will witness the event 
and expresses them in the following manner: "And it 
shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God ; we have 
waited for him, and he will save us : this is the Lord ; 
we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in 
his salvation." Isa. 25 ; 9. 

At his coming, the dead in Christ will be raised to ever- 
lasting life. The righteous living will be changed to im- 
mortality. The hand of our Saviour will wipe away all 
tears ; " There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor 
crying, neither shall there be any more pain ; for the for- 
mer things are passed away." 

Before visiting with judgments, God always sends warn- 
mgs sufficient to enable the believing to escape his wrath, 
and to condemn those who have not heeded the warning. 
This was the case before the flood. The wickedness of the 
world had become very great. Every imagination of the 
thoughts of the hearts of men was only evil. It would seem 
that they had forfeited all claims for consideration. Vio- 
lence and corruption filled the earth, and the only way to 
eradicate evil was to destroy it with its workers. But before 
doing so, the world must be warned of the impending doom ; 
and there was found one man who would engage in the 
work. Noah had faith in God, and preached for one hun- 



INTEOI>UCTOIiY. 7 

dred and twenty years the message of warning and salvation. 
His work also testified with his words. 

"By faith Koah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, 
moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house ; by the 
which he condemned the world." Heb. 11 :7. 

At a later period, when the nations had again become 
sunken in idolatry and crime, and the destruction of wicked 
Sodom and Gomorrah was determined, the Lord said, — 

"Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that 
Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the 
nations of the earth shall be blessed in him ? " Gen. 18 : 17, 18. 

And due notice was given to righteous Lot, who, with 
his daughters, was preserved ; and none, even in that guilty 
city, perished without due warning. Lot evidently warned 
the people ; and in thus communing with them, was " vexed 
with the filthy conversation of the wicked." 2 Peter 2 : 
7, 8. His righteous life had been a rebuke to them ; and 
we have every reason to believe that the holy example of 
Abraham in his worship of the true God was known to 
j'hem. He had at one time been their saviour, and rescued 
their captives and spoil from the victorious enemy who was 
carrying them away. But when Lot warned his friends of 
the approaching doom, "he seemed as one that mocked.'^ 
Gen. 19 : 14. They, like the antediluvians, persisted in sin, 
and drank of the wrath of God. 

At a subsequent time the sins of Nineveh rose to 
heaven, and Jonah was sent to bear to that proud capital the 
startling message, " Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be 
destroyed." The consciences of those sinners told them the 
message was true ; and from the least of them to the 
greatest they humbled themselves, and the overhanging 
judgment was averted. 



■IK 




ijN'tkoductoey. y 

Before Christ commenced his earthly missiou, John th^ 
Baptist was sent as the voice of one crying in the wilder 
ness, ''Prepare ye the way of the Lord." By this mean^^ 
tlie expectation of the people was raised, and doubtless^ 
many were through it led to accept of salvation, while 
the generation at large was condemned for rejecting the 
light. 

Our Saviour in his time saw the destruction of Jerusalem 
just in the future of that generation, and faithfully warned 
the people, foretelling signs by which it might be known 
when the desolation thereof was nigh. Luke 21 :21. Such 
is the testimony of inspiration respecting the dealings of 
God with his people in past ages. 

All who accept the Bible as the inspired word of God 
acknowledge that he has been very faithful in warning 
people in past ages of impending judgments and other events 
which affected their eternal welfare. Such having been 
the divine plan in relation to past events, we would cer- 
tainly be justified in anticipating such warnings of Christ's 
second coming as would comport with the importance of 
the event. But when we come to regard the future, and" 
especially our own immediate future, the incredulity of 
very many is at once aroused. 

But what are the facts in the case? Can anything be 
learned from the Bible relative to the time of the second 
advent ? This is a grave inquiry ; and, from the very nature 
of the subject, is worthy of close investigation, and a 
candid answer. It is a matter of painful regret that many, 
under the influence of popular prejudice, have decided that 
the period of the second advent is a secret, hidden with 
the Lord. While these can scarcely be reached with this 
subject, as long as they remain under the influence of those 
who denounce all investigation of it as prying into the 



INTKODUCTOEY. 11 

secrets of the Almighty, there is still, we believe, a larger 
class who wait for evidence before deciding. 

We accept the Bible as a revelatioji from heaven. 
What God has revealed in that book, let no man call a 
mystery, or a secret of the Almighty. *'The secret things 
belong unto the Lord our God ; but those things which 
are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever." 
Deut. 29 : 29. If the sacred Scriptures, in a most clear 
and harmonious manner, point out the signs of the approach 
of that great event, and if there is evidence that *' it is near, 
even at the doors," the subject at once assumes great im- 
portance. 

When the disciples inquired, '' What shall be the sign of 
thy coming, and of the end of the world ? " Jesus did not 
reprove them for inquiring into this matter, nor tell them 
that it was purposely hidden from all men ; but he answered 
their question in the most definite manner. 

The simple fact that the Lord mentions signs of his 
second advent, is the best proof possible that his people 
were not to remain ignorant of the relative nearness of the 
event. Add to this his injunctions to watchfulness, and the 
blessings which he pronounces upon those who are awake 
and watching at his coming, and it becomes a certainty 
that he would not leave his people ignorant of the proximity 
of that event. Paul also says that "unto them that look for 
Kim shall he appear the second time without sin unto salva- 
tion." Heb. 9:28. And that a crown of righteousness 
will be given ''unto all them also that love his appearing." 
2 Tim. 4 : 8. 

With these assurances we may look for plain and em- 
phatic tokens of the Saviour's second coming. 

No one is so well qualified to speak of the future as is 
He who upholds all things by the word of his power. No 



12 



INTEODUCTORY. 



one can speak more authoritatively of the second advent 
than can Christ himself. No words of merely human origin 
are entitled to any regard on a subject which the Father 
holds in his own knowledge ; but when the Son of God 
speaks, shall we not reverently listen, and earnestly heed 
what he may have to say to us ? 

Probably no other chapter of the Bible speaks more 
fully and more definitely upon the subject of the second 
advent, than Matthew 24, in Christ's own words. We invite 
the attention of the candid reader to a brief explanation of 
the entire chapter. 




filS GLORIOOS flPPEflRING: 

AS EXPOSITION OF 



CHRIST'S PROPHECY. 

Veese 1 : "And Jesus went out, and departed from tlie temple: and 
his disciples came to liim for to show him the buildings of the temple." 

THE Jews thought that the temple would stand forever, 
and they called the attention of Christ to its magnifi- 
cence and strength, and to the great stones that entered 
into the structure. On this point the historian of those 
times, Josephus, says: ''Now the temple was built of 
stones that were white and strong, and each of their lengths 
was twenty-five cubits, their height was eight, and their 
breadth about twelve." — ''Antiquities,^'^ hook osv, chap. xi. 
If we compute a cubit at twenty inches, we shall be able to 
gain some idea of the size and ' ' manner " of these stones. 

Verse 3 : "And Jesus said unto them. See ye not all these things? 
Verily I say imto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon an- 
other, that shall not be thrown down." 

Verse 3 : " And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples 
came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be ? 
and whai shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" 

This statement from the Master could not but deeply 
interest the disciples. And it matters not whether they 
supposed that the destruction of the temple, the coming of 

[13] 



H HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

Christ, and the end of the age, would all occur at the same 
time, or at different periods, since Christ, in his answer in 
this chapter, has distinctly spoken of each separately, and 
has given each its place in the prophetic history of events. 
If it were their impression that the overthrow of the temple 
and the end of the world would occur at the same time, it 
by no means proves that this would be the case. As the 
Scriptures show, up to the time of the out-pouring of the 
Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, their ideas upon many 
points were crude and inaccurate. Take as proof of this the 
parable which the Lord spake when he was going into 
Jerusalem. Luke 19. They thought that the kingdom of 
God should immediately appear. To correct this impres- 
sion, the parable of the nobleman was spoken. If they 
understood the parable at the time when it was spoken, it 
did not fully eradicate the impression from their minds, 
as is proved by what they did when they entered Jeru- 
salem. We cannot believe that they would have hailed 
him as the Son of David, and rejoiced before him as a King 
in his triumph, if they had realized that he was going into 
the city to be condemned aud crucified as a malefactor. 
Palm branches and shouts of triumph did not attend the 
steps of the lowly and the condemned. 

John admits for himself and Peter, after they had seen 
the empty sepulcher, that 'Hhey knew not the scripture, 
that he must rise again from the dead." John 20 : 9. 

Again, after his resurrection, Jesus reproved two of his 
disciples, who, though they had trusted that he would re- 
deem Israel, were then sad and disheartened. They did 
not then understand that Christ ought "to have suffered 
these things, and to enter into his glory." The suffering 
part was still a mystery to them. And some of the apostles 
were so slow to realize that which he had spoken to them. 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 15 

that they could hardly be persuaded that he was indeed 
risen from the dead. And after he had been with them 
full forty days, speaking to them of the things pertaining 
to the kingdom, they did not yet understand "the times 
and the seasons," and therefore asked him, "Lord, wilt 
thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ? " 

However the matter may have been entertained in the 
minds of the disciples, it is evident that their query coiir 
sisted of two distinct questions in the mind of the Saviour. 
These questions relate, first, to the destruction of Jerusalem ; 
and, second, to Christ's second coming at the end of the 
world or age. They were distinctly answered by our 
Lord ; not, however^ before the promiscuous multitude ; 
but on the occasion of a private interview with his dis- 
ciples. Christ here speaks to his disciples ; hence his 
words in this prophetic discourse are addressed especially 
to the church. 

Vekses 4, 5 : *' And Jesus answered and said unto them. Take 
heed ttat no man deceive you For many shall come in my name, say- 
ing; 1 am Christ, and shall deceive many." 

Jesus knew the hearts of men, and that many impostors 
would arise, and deceive multitudes. He here warns his 
disciples, and guards them against the deceptions of cor- 
rupt and ambitious men. Such was the general expectation 
of the appearance of the Messiah among the Jews, that 
many would set up the claim that they were the Christ, to 
carry out selfish purposes, or to gain notoriety, and the 
credulous people would be easily led into the deception, 
and then be destroyed for sedition. We are informed that 
in the days succeeding those of Christ, impostors arose in 
great numbers. Josephus tells us of an Egyptian false 
prophet who led 30,000 men into the desert to show them 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 17 

signs, and then brought them to Jerusalem as if to attack 
the city. He caused great pillage and destruction in 
Judea, but in the time of battle, ran away, leaving his fol- 
lowers to the exasperated Romans. — ^'Wars of the Jews^'^'' 
hook ii^ chap. xiii. 

In the former part of the second century Cazibee set 
himself at the head of the Jewish nation and proclaimed 
himself their long-expected Messiah. To facilitate the 
success of his bold enterprise he changed his name to 
that of Barchocheba, alluding to the Star foretold by 
Balaam. Adrian raised an army, and sent it against him. 
He retired into a town called Bither, where he was besieged. 
Barchocheba was killed in the siege, the city was taken, 
and a dreadful havoc succeeded. The Jews themselves 
allow that, during this short war against the Romans in de- 
fense of this false Messiah, they lost five or six hundred 
thousand souls. — Buck^s Dictionary. 

Dr. A. Clarke says, on the authority of Josephus, that 
''a few years afterward, under the reign of IS'ero, while 
Felix was procurator of Judea, impostors of this stamp 
were so frequent that some were taken and killed almost 
every day." And at intervals since then the Jews who 
are all the time expecting the appearance of the Messiah 
have been repeatedly the victims of cruel deception. 

Verse 6 . "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See 
that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the 
end is not yet." 

It is proper that we should consider what is meant by the 
term "the end," used in this verse; in verse 14, "then 
shall the end come;" and in verse 3, "tlje sign of thy 
coming, and the end of the world." In the first place, it 
may be unhesitatingly claimed that the term does not refer 
to the end of the Jewish dispensation, which terminated at 



18 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

the crucifixion, nor to the destruction of Jerusalem, which 
occurred about forty years later. Because, first, Jesus 
treated the question concerning the destruction of the 
temple and that referring to his coming and the end of the 
world as relating to two distinct events, widely separated in 
time. Second, the signs which were to be premonitory of 
the end did not transpire before the destruction of the tem- 
ple. Third, the second coming of Christ, the close of pro- 
bation, the judgment, the resurrection, and the end of sin, 
death, and mortality, are frequently and prominently asso- 
ciated together in the Bible as constituting the most impor- 
tant epoch in human history. To limit this thrilling dis- 
course to the local and long past destruction of Jerusalem 
would be to rob it of its force and grandeur. Not only 
would the twenty-fourth of Matthew wliich we are now 
studying be stultified, but very much of the life and power 
of the Scriptures would be sacrificed by such a course. 

As to the meaning of the phrase, "the end of the world," 
ft may consistently be translated ''the end of the age," and 
in the margin of the Revised Bible it is rendered "the con- 
summation of the age." For an inspired definition of the 
term, let the reader turn to Matt. 13 : 38-40 and its context, 
where the same words are used and repeated in the orig- 
inal : — 

*' The tares are the children of the wicked one ; the enemy that 
sowed them is the devil ; the harvest is the end of the world ; and 
the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and 
burned in the fire ; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of 
man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his king- 
dom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast 
them into a furnace of fire • there shall be wailing and gnashing of 
teeth." 

From Eev. 14 : 14-16 we learn that the harvest of the 
earth and the second coming of Christ are identical. 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 19 

So that bj no possible means could it be established that 
the "end of the world " means the destruction of Jerusa- 
lem. Further evidence is found in Matt. 28 : 20 where the 
same expression, both in the original and in the translation, 
is used : "Lo I am with you alwaj, even unto the end of 
the world." But no one would have the audacity to claim 
that this promise expired in a. d. 70, as it must have 
done if those questions of the disciples and the subsequent 
discourse of Christ related only to the impending doom of 
the temple and city. 

Verses 7, 8: "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom 
against kingdom ; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and 
earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." 

Wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes have oc- 
curred all along since these words were spoken. There- 
fore, these, as they have ever existed, cannot be regarded 
as the especial signs of the end. It may be claimed, how- 
ever, with a good degree of consistency, that the Scriptures 
teach that these calamities would abound in the last days to 
such an extent as to constitute a sign of the approaching 
Judgment. We wish to keep the important fact distinctly 
before the mind, that the sacred Scriptures do teach when 
men may not, and when they may, look for the second 
appearing of Christ. 

The sacred writers have so uniformly associated such 
judgments as war, famine, pestilence, and earthquake, with 
the last Judgment, that the disciples would be in danger of 
concluding that the end wouia immediately follow the first 
appearance of these calamities ; hence the caution given : 
''These things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." 
Here the disciples were clearly taught that they should 
not expect the end in their day. This fact is worthy of the 



20 HIS GLOKious appeakIng: 

candid attention of those who object to the proclamation 
of the second advent of Christ in the form of an especial 
message. These sometimes assert that it was right for the 
disciples to look for Christ in their day, and that it has been 
scriptural and right for all Christians to look for the second 
appearing of Christ in their time, from the days of the 
chosen twelve to the present time. And they decide that 
no more can be learned and believed upon this subject in 
our time than by the Christians of past generations, and 
that the public mind should not now be moved upon this 
great question, any more than in all past time since the 
first advent of Christ. 

We have seen that this position is incorrect so far as 
the early disciples were concerned. They are directed to 
the distant future as the time when their Lord should come. 
They are assured that they need not be troubled at hearing 
of wars and rumors of wars; "for all these things must 
come to pass, but the end is not yet." Our Lord then 
guides the minds of his disciples, as we shall see in the 
examination of this chapter, down over the time of the great 
apostasy, and the long period of the rule of papal Kome, 
before mentioning a sign of his second advent. He does 
not intimate that his people during these long periods may 
expect the end. l^o, not once. But when he comes to a 
later time, the Lord names signs in the sun, in the moon, 
and in the stars, and adds : " When ye shall see all these 
things, know that it is near, even at the doors." 

Mark this : Our Lord does not mention wars, famines, 
pestilences, and earthquakes as signs of his second advent ; 
but rather as events of common occurrence all the way 
through the Christian age, which must exist before the 
end. And history attests the fact that these calamities have 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 21 

covered at least seventeen centuries. The following is from 
a work of 'Noah Webster, LL. D., published in 1799 : — 

"By famine and sword, 580,000 Jews were destroyed between 
A. D. 96 and a. d. 180. 

"In Antioch, from A. D. 96 to a. d, 180, earthquakes destroyed 
13 cities and over 100,000 lives. 

"In Rome, A. d. 169, pestilence destroyed 10,000 daily. 

"In Rome, a. d. 187, pestilence appeared and continued three 
years. 

"In London, a. d. 310, by famine, 40,000 died. 

" In A. D. 446, September 17, an earthquake shook down the walls 
of Constantinople, and 57 towers fell. 

" In Rome, a. d. 539, in one district 50,000 died. 

"In Antioch, a. d. 588, an earthquake killed 60,000. 

"In A. D. 542, the plague killed 10,000 in one day in Turkey. 

"In A. D. 679, a severe famine in England, three years. 

"In A. D. 717, in Constantinople, 300,000 died of plague. 

"In A. D. 1005, earthquakes three months, followed by pestilence, 
by which it is said one third of the human race died. 

"In A. D. 1077, in Constantinople, so many died by plague and 
famine the living could not bury them. 

"In A. D. 1124, in Italy, there was such famine that the dead lay in 
the streets not buried ; and in England one third of the people died of 
plague. 

"In A. D. 1294, in England thousands died of famine. 

"In A. D. 1346, in London, 50,000 died of plague and famine, and 
were buried in one grave-yard ; in Norwich, 50,000 ; in Venice, 100,000; 
in Florence, 100,000; in Eastern nations, 20,000,000. It was called 
the black death. 

"In A. D. 1352, in China, 900,000 died of famine. 

"In A. D. 1427 in Dantzic, 80,000 died of plague. 

"In A. D. 1570, in Moscow, 200,000 died of plague. 

"In A. D. 1572, in Lyons, 50,000 died of plague. 

"In A. D. 1625, in London, 35,000 died of plague. 

"In A. D. 1656, in Naples, 300,000 died of plague. 

" In A. D. 1665, in London, 68,000 died of plague. 

"In A. D. 1755, an earthquake destroyed the city of Lisbon, killing 
50,000. In Mitylene, and the Archipelago, it shook down 2000 houses. 
It shook all the Spanish coast. The plague followed, which destroj^ed 
150,000 persons in Constantinople." 




MARTYRDOM OF HUSS. 



AN EXPOSITIOlsr OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 23 

Doubtless the figures in the above list should in some 
instances be corrected to correspond with facts. But, taken 
as a whole, they do not nearly represent the ravages of 
death in their enormity. For instance, the Encyclopedia 
Britannica states that Hecker estimates the celebrated 
"black death" of the fourteenth century in the different 
epidemics, to have swept away one fourth of the inhabitants 
of Europe, or 25,000,000 people ! 

PERSECUTION AND FALSE PROPHETS. 

Verses 9, 10: "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, 
and shall kill you ; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's 
sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, 
and shall hate one another." 

Here is a brief description of the afflictions and martyr- 
dom of the church of Christ. Thousands of the faithful 
followers of Jesus were most cruelly put to death by pagan 
Rome ; yet the prophecy doubtless applies more particularly 
to the long period of papal persecutions, in which thousands 
and even millions of Christians were put to death in the 
most cruel manner that wicked men and demons could de- 
vise. In these verses we are brought down over the long 
period of the martyrdom of the church of Jesus Christ, to 
near the present generation. These verses being parallel 
with verses 21 and 22, this subject will be noticed again. 

Vekse 11 : "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive 
many." 

A true prophet is one who speaks for God. The spirit 
of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. Eev. 19 : 10, It is 
Jesus Christ speaking through human lips or pen to his peo- 
ple. Pseudo, or false prophets, speak through the agency 
of wicked spirits and the power of Satan. Their work is 
to deceive. And while this is true of those who are under 




THE CRUCIFIXION. 



AN" EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 25 

the direct inspiration of superior beings, good or evil, it is 
true in a more restricted sense that consecrated teachers of 
divine truth may be regarded as God's prophets ,* and 
teachers of error may properly be called false prophets. 
True and false prophets may be known. 

The prophets of God are teachers of purity, reprovers 
of sin, and faithful in warning the people of coming dan- 
gers. The duties of those whom God calls to speak in 
his great name are clearly expressed by the sacred writers. 
We here quote from three of them : — 

IsA. 58 : 1 : " Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, 
and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob theii 
sins." 

Joel 2:1 : "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm 
in my holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, 
for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." 

2 Tim. 4 : 1, 2 ; "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord 
Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing 
and his kingdom ; preach the word ; be instant in season, out of sea- 
son; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine." 

False prophets do not reprove the people for their sins, 
and do not warn them of coming danger; but they proclaim 
peace to the sinner. Their teachings lead from God and 
his word, and are such as please the unconverted mind. 
The inspired writers have also spoken definitely of the tes- 
timony and work of false prophets. We here give several 
for example : — 

EzE. 13:9, 10: "And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that 
see vanity, and that divine lies. They shall not be in the assembly 
of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house 
of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall 
know that I am the Lord God. Because, even because they have 
seduced my people, saying, Peace ; and there was no peace ; and one 
built up a wall, and lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar." 



26 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

Jek. 6 :13, 14 : "For from the least of them even unto the great- 
est of them, every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet 
even unto the priest, every one dealeth falsely. They have healed 
also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying. Peace, 
peace, when there is no peace." 

Jer. 14 :13, 14: 'Then said I, Ah, Lord God ! behold, the proph- 
ets say unto them. Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have 
famine ; but I will give you assured peace in this place. Then the Lord 
said unto me, The prophets prophesy liea in my name. I sent them 
not, neither spake unto them." 

After stating the duty of the faithful servant of God 
to preach the word, to reprove, to rebuke, and exhort with 
all long-suffering and doctrine, the apostle sajs : — 

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; 
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, hav- 
ing itching ears ; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, 
and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Tim. 4:3, 4. 

That time has now fully come. The people choose 
pleasing fables, which do not disturb them in their sins, 
rather than the reproving, searching declarations of the 
word of God. They love to be deceived by the teachings 
of false prophets, and ''say to the seers, See not; and to 
the prophets. Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto 
us smooth things, prophesy deceits." Isa. 30 : 10. 

"Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord. Shall not my 
soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible 
thing is committed in the land ; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the 
priests bear rule by their means ; and my people love to have it so; and 
what will ye do in the end thereof? " Jer. 5 : 29-31. 

The ears of the people are filled with the pleasing fables 
of the world's conversion, a good time coming, and that 
we are just entering the golden age. Tlie threatenings of 
God's word on the proud, the haughty, the vain, the rich, 
the sinners in Zion, and those out of Zion, are kept back by 



A]^ EXPOSITIO]^' OF MATTHEW TWEI^ TY-FOUR, 27 

the false teachers of these times. Many of them even dare 

to teach that the moral code of the ten commandments is 
abrogated. And as the result of such a course, and of such 
teaching, we see in the professed church of Jesus Christ, 
that 

INIQUITY ABOUNDS. 

Verse 12 : "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many 
shall wax cold." 

It is evident that both the abounding of iniquity and the 
waxing cold of the love of many, are fulHIled in the pro- 
fessed church of Jesus Christ. Men must first experience 
the love of God and of heavenly things before that love 
can grow cold. Hence, common, unconverted sinners are 
not here referred to as apostatizing. And, again, the preva- 
lence of iniquity in the unconverted world alone, would 
stimulate the church to greater diligence, and more god- 
liness, instead of being a cause of apostasy. Hence, the 
iniquity here mentioned is in the very heart of the professed 
church, diffusing its chilling influence through the whole 
body. As the result, the love of many has grown cold. 
With this, agree the words of the apostle : — 

" This know also, that in tlie last days perilous times shall come. 
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, 
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without 
natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, 
despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers 
of pleasures more than lovers of God ; having a form of godliness, 
but denying the power thereof ; from such turn away." 2 Tim. 3 : 1-5. 

Here is a catalogue of eighteen sins, all resting upon 
those having a form uf godliness. These are not infidels 
and common worldly sinners, for they have not a form of 
godliness ; but they are men and women professing to be 





5 Ht ASCENSION 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWEXTY-FOUE. 29 

followers of Jesus Christ. And although they make a 
profession of piety as high as heaven, these very sins lie at 
their doors. And by reason of their example, and their 
chilling influence, many are led from the humble path to 
heaven, and their love waxes cold. 

THE END. 

Verse 13 : "But lie that shall endure unto the end, the same shall 
be saved." 

As before noted, the word "^^icZ," whenever used in this 
chapter, refers to the end of the age, and to nothing else. 
It is the end associated in the New Testament with the 
second appearing of Jesus Christ. If it be urged that the 
word "end" has reference to the close of mortal life, then 
we reply that the disciples did not ask their Lord (see verse 
3) when they should die; but "what shall be the sign of 
thy coming, and of the end of the world ? " Neither does 
tlie Lord speak of death, when he says (see verse 6), " But 
the end is not yet." And it would be strange indeed to 
suppose that the word "end" (verse li) meant death. If 
any think such a position admissible, let them read it into 
the text, as follows : And this gospel of the kingdom 
shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all 
nations, and then shall death come. Absurdity ! 

Yerse 14: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached 
in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end 
come.^' 

This is the first sign of the end given by our Lord in 
answer to the question, " What shall be the sign of thy 
coming, and of the end of the world ? '' 

But it is robbed of its distinct power by that interpre- 
tation, sometimes given, by which it is assumed that all men 
will receive the gospel and be converted, and that then 



30 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

instead of the end, there will ensue a thousand years in 
which all shall know the Lord. After this long period 
of peace and safety, the end will come. How much is 
assumed on this text will appear when we consider that the 
text does not say that every individual will even hear this 
gospel of the kingdom. It does not state that any one 
will be converted and made holy by it. And we find it far 
from intimating that the world will be converted and remain 
so one thousand years. We have no reason to conclude 
that greater measure of success is implied in this text than 
that which has always attended the preaching of the gospel. 
While a few have believed and received it, the great mass 
of men have passed it by unheedingly. The text simply 
states : First, ' ' And this gospel of the kingdom shall be 
preached in all the world ; " second, ' ' For a witness unto 
all nations ; " third, ''And then [not one thousand years 
later, but then] shall the end come." 

But to what does the term ' ' gospel of the kingdom " 
refer ? The query sometimes rises as to whether the gospel 
in the common acceptation of the word, or a gospel pe- 
culiarly related to the second coming of Christ is here 
meant. I^o such distinction is to be drawn. There neither 
is, has been, nor will be more than one gospel. ''But 
though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other 
gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto 
you, let him be accursed." Gal. 1:8. 

The gospel, then, in this instance, is the same as Paul 
preached, which was the "power of God unto salvation to 
every one that believeth." But in Eev. 14:6 and T we 
read : — 

" And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the 
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to 
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUK. 31 

voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is 
come ; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and 
the fountains of waters." 

The gospel is here called the "everlasting gospel," 
and must necessarily be referred to the gospel of Christ. 
In connection with the preaching of that gospel, was the 
proclamation that the judgment hour had come. Not that 
this message was appended to the gospel, but the angel who 
had the everlasting gospel to preach said, "Fear God . . . 
for the hour of his judgment is come." 

The gospel of Jesus Christ embraces all truth relating 
to salvation. The warnings, counsel, invitations, promises, 
precepts, prophecies, or whatever the Lord would have the 
people hear, — the gospel embraces them all. In the days 
of Noah, the gospel included repentance, faith, obedience, 
with the promises of grace and mercy; it also included the 
warning of the impending judgment. And the only way to 
escape that judgment was through the gospel. So here in 
Revelation we have the gospel with all it implies, including 
the message of Christ's second coming and kingdom and 
the judgment. Closely associated with this message are 
two others as given in Rev. 14 : 8-12. The first is merged 
into these. Then immediately following their proclamation 
we have the following scene : — 

"And I looked and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud 
one sat .like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, 
and in his hand a sharp sickle. . . . And he that sat on the cloud thrust 
in his sickle on the earth ; and the earth was reaped." Rev. 14 : 14-16. 

In Rev. 14: 6-16, then, we learn what is the meaning 
of the term "gospel of the kingdom." It is the gospel, 
and it embraces the admonitions and instructions relative 
to the second coming of Christ. And now that we have 
reached that time, the complete gospel embraces the good 



32 HIS GLORIOUS appeaeing: 

news of the coming kingdom with appropriate warnings 
and teachings. Our Saviour says it "shall be preached 
in all the world for a witness unto all nations." The Reve- 
lator says the message is to be preached "to every nation, 
kindred, tongue, and people." When this shall be done, 
the end will come. 

The world-wide proclamation of the soon coming of 
Christ was inaugurated about 1832. Since that time, the 
work of extending its warning voice has gone on. A most 
remarkable feature of this movement is the fact that in 
different countries individuals were moved upon, almost 
simultaneously, to study the prophecies and proclaim the 
nearness of the end, although they knew nothing of what 
was being done by others. In the United States and Canada, 
in Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Germany, and in Asia, 
a profound interest in this subject was created, and people 
were led to expect the early appearance of Jesus. Since 
that time clearer light has appeared in connection with 
the other messages of Revelation 14, and still the work is 
onward. Wherever the light of the Bible has penetrated, 
the good news of the coming Saviour is now going. Not 
only so, but messengers bearing this gracious warning are 
rapidly finding their way into the dark portions of the earth. 
Evidence of its extent and progress might be expressed 
in facts and figures, but the rapid development of the 
work would soon leave these in the rear. Let it suffice to 
say that at present the everlasting gospel is being preached 
and published in all the leading languages and countries of 
the world. The work has encircled the globe. It is rapidly 
reaching every nation. We now wait for the approaching 
end ; for when the purpose of God in the proclamation 
of the coming reign of Christ shall be fully accomplished, 
then the end will come. 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-EOUE. 33 

Thus far in this discourse Jesus has passed over the 
entire Christian dispensation. Beginning with a warning 
against the deceptions that were to succeed his owii times, 
he next describes wars and disasters, persecutions, apos- 
tasy, the perils of the last days, and closes witli a distinct 
sign of the end. 



■^ 



WHEN SHALL THESE THINGS BE? 

Verses 15-20 ; '* When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of 
desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place 
(whoso readeth, let him understand) ; then let them which be in Judea 
flee into the mountains ; let him which is on the housetop not come 
down to take anything out of his house ; neither let him which is in 
the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are 
with child, and to them that give suck in those days I But pray ye 
that youi flight be nol :n the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." 

Our Lord having in verses 5-14, passed over the important 
events in the Christian age down to the end, goes back and 
introduces in verse 15 the destruction of Jerusalem, in an- 
swer to the inquiry, *' When shall these things be?" Luke's 
version of this language is, ** AVhen ye shall see Jerusalem 
encompassed with armies, then know that the desolation 
thereof is nigh." Luke 21 : 20. By this we know that 
the term *^ abomination of desolation " refers to the Roman 
army. This desolating power is spoken of by Daniel as 
follows : — 

"And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city 
and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto 
the end of the war desolations are determined. . . . And for the over- 
spreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the con- 
summation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." 
Margin, "desolator." Dan. 9:26, 27. 
3 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUB. 35 

Here is a clear prophecy of the destruction of Jeru- 
salem by the Roman armies. Our Lord referred to the book 
of Daniel, and taught his disciples to read and understand 
it; and when they should see take place what was there 
predicted, they must make their escape. 

It would seem to be impracticable to flee from a city 
after it was encompassed with armies ; but our Saviour did 
not speak at random. Josephus tells us that Cestius, the 
Roman general who first led the attack upon Jerusalem, be- 
came dismayed at the apparent forces and strength of the 
city, and after having surrounded the city raised the siege. 
The historian says: "He retired from the city, without 
any reason in the world." — "TPa^s," hook ii, chap. xix. 
And in the first words of the succeeding chapter he further 
states : ''After this calamity had befallen Cestius, many of 
the most eminent Jews swam away from the city, as from 
a ship when it was going to sink." 

Dr. A. Clarke, commenting on verse 16, says : — 

*' This counsel was remembered and wisely followed by the Chris- 
tians afterwards. Eusebius and Epiphanius say, that at this juncture, 
after Cestius Gallus had raised the siege, all who believed in Christ left 
Jerusalem and fled to Pella, and other places beyond Jordan." 

The flight of the Christians of Judea to the mountains 
would be attended with difficulties. And their subsequent 
condition would be that of hardship and suffering. The 
Lord knew this, and gave them the instructions and warnings 
necessary. The statement of verse 19 was given to save 
them from the sorrows of unnecessary woe. That was a 
time of trouble. 

Jesus recognizes the existence of the Sabbath, in verse 
20, as late as the destruction of Jerusalem, as verily as he 
does the seasons of the year. The Sabbath^ is the uniform 



36 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

term of both Testaments to designate the very day on which 
Jehovah rested after the creation, the day upon which he 
put his blessing, and which he set apart for man. JSTot 
only in this instance does our Saviour show his regard for 
the sacred day of rest, but in his life he kept it (see Luke 
4:16); in his teaching he upheld it, and taught its true 
character (Matt. 12 : 12); and when he lay in the tomb, 
the devout women reverently rested ' ' according to the 
commandment." He himself is Lord of the Sabbath, and 
he declares that it was made for man. Mark 2 : 27, 28. 
Jesus does not speak of the Sabbath as being only a 
seventh part of time, or one day in seven, and no day in 
particular. The Sabbath is the term used, referring to 
the last day of the first week of time, and to the last day of 
each subsequent week. 

There are those who attribute the change that has taken 
place in keeping the weekly Sabbath, from the original sev- 
enth day to the first day of the week, to the teachings and 
example of Christ. This is a mistake. Our Saviour always 
recognized the Sabbath as it was ordained in the beginning. 
Although repeatedly accused of breaking the Sabbath by 
those who were determined to destroy him, and who had 
hidden the true character of the institution under a moun- 
tain of superstitious rubbish, he never failed successfully to 
defend himself of those accusations and to teach some valu- 
able lessons in regard to the true nature and design of the 
Sabbath. He taught that it was lawful (according to the 
law) to do well on the Sabbath day. He showed very 
clearly that relieving distress of men or beasts was a proper 
work for the Sabbath. Bearing the burdens of others, and 
doing work of compassion, was entirely consistent with 
Christ's idea of Sabbath observance. 

In his work and teachings, he recognized the Sabbath as 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 37 

an existing and binding institution. There is in all that he 
said not one word that could be regarded as abrogating 
tlie Sabbath law. On the contrary, he plainly and une- 
quivocally taught that all the law was and forever would 
be in binding force. In his Sermon on the Mount, Christ 
said : — 

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets : I am 
not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven 
and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, 
till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least 
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in 
the kingdom of heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them, the 
same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5 • 17-19. 

Again he said : ''It is easier for heaven and earth to 
pass, than one tittle of the law to fail." Luke 16 : 17. 

Let those who imagine that Jesus abolished, relaxed, or 
changed the Sabbath reflect on these words. Let them 
study his life, and consider well that the object of his earthly 
life was to magnify the law and make it honorable. As he 
came to earth on his mission of compassion, he announces : 
"Lo, I come: ... I delight to do thy will, O my God: 
yea, tliy law is within my heart.'' It was for the trans- 
gression of that law that the race was doomed to death. 
The law must be vindicated: sin must meet its penalty. In 
the life and death of Jesus Christ both were accomplished. 
In his life we behold the beauty and perfection of a character 
which is a living expression of God's law. In his suffering 
and death we have portrayed the awful character of sin, and 
sin is the transgression of the law. 

The Sabbath was never designed to add to men's bur- 
dens. It is not a hardship, but a blessed boon of rest and 
refreshment from on high. The Saviour said, " The Sabbath 
was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." Mark 



B8 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

2 : 27. That is, the Sabbath was designed and adapted to 
man's requirements. It was fitted to his spiritual, social, 
and physical needs. It comes to him as a blessing. It was 
made for man to keep ; not to violate at his caprice — to 
change, to ignore, to despise. It is a constant reminder of 
the perfect state which man forfeited by sin in Eden, of that 
perfect work of God when he saw that all was very good. 
It points the mind forward to Eden restored, and is a fitting 
type of the rest that remains for the people of God. The 
Sabbath is an institution that reaches from paradise lost to 
paradise restored, spanning the chasm of sin, furnishing a 
living testimony to divine truth. 

The Sabbath stands to-day just where God placed it at 
the beginning and just where Christ left it. Men have tam- 
pered with it ; but God still regards it, and still his word 
says: ''Blessed are they that do his commandments, that 
they. may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in 
through the gates into the city." Eev. 22 : 14. 

— ^ _^ 



WHAT SHALL BE THE SIGN OF THY 
COMING? 

Veese 21 r " For tlien shall be great tribulation, such as was not 
since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be." 

Jesus answered the question, ' ' When shall these things 
be ? " He now proceeds to answer the second great question. 

It is not surprising, perhaps, that upon a casual read- 
ing, some should conclude that this verse had its fulfillment 
at the siege of Jerusalem by Titus. It was a time of great 
suffering, and the verse follows so closely those which relate 
to the destruction of the city, that this explanation suggests 
itself readily enough. But for good reasons we cannot 
accept that application of this verse. Jesus is giving a 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 39 

contiiuous prophecy. The narrative proceeds from verse 
to verse along the line of the entire dispensation. 

The "great tribulation" mentioned in verse 21 is that 
of the church of Christ, and not the tribulation of the Jews 
at the destruction of Jerusalem. We offer the following 
reasons for so deciding : — 

1. It is a fact that the tribulation of the Christian church, 
especially under the reign of the papacy, was greater than 
God's people had suffered before "since the beginning of 
the world." The tribulation of the Christian church has 
been greater than it will ever be again. True, a time of 
trouble "such as never was," spoken of in Dan. 12 : 1, is 
coming upon the wicked; but we find in the same verse this 
blessed promise, "And at that time thy people shall be 
delivered." The tribulation of the Jews at the destruction 
of Jerusalem was not greater than the world will ever 
witness. The vials of Jehovah's unmingled wrath are yet 
to be poured out, not upon the people of one nation only, 
but upon the guilty people of all nations. 

" The slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the 
earth even unto the other end of the earth ; they shall not be lamented, 
neither gathered, nor buried." Jer. 25 : 33 

2. If the tribulation be applied to the Jews, or to any 
other class of unbelieving men, it cannot be harmonized 
with Dan. 12 : 1, which speaks of the time of trouble such 
as never was, when Michael shall stand up. Certainly 
there cannot be two times of trouble at different periods, 
greater than ever was or ever would be. Therefore the 
"tribulation" spoken of in Matt. 24 : 21, 29, applies not to 
the Jews, but to the church of Christ, extending through 
the 1260 years of papal persecution; and the "trouble" 
mentioned in Dan. 12 : 1, to the unbelieving world, to be 
experienced by them in the future. 




ST. BARTHOLOMEW MASSACRE. 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 41 

3. The period of tribulation was shortened for the elect's 
sake. This cannot refer to the Jews, for their house had 
been pronounced desolate. Thej were left of God in their 
hardness of heart and blindness of mind. Says Paul, "Lo, 
we turn to the Gentiles." The elect were the followers of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. And where were they when tribula- 
tion was upon the Jews? — They had fled to the mountains. 
It is absurd, then, to say that the days of tribulation of 
the Jews in the city of Jerusalem, were shortened for the 
sake of the elect, who had fled from the place of tribulation. 
Moreover the tribulation that came upon Jerusalem was 
not restrained or modified, but continued until the city was 
destroyed and its people were given to the sword and to 
captivity. 

4. The connection between verses 20 and 21 shows that 
the tribulation was to commence with those Christians who 
were to flee out of the city. "But pray ye that your flight 
be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath-day ; for then 
shall be great tribulation." Our Lord here speaks of the 
tribulation which his people would suffer from the time of 
their flight onward. We follow them in their flight to 
the mountains, and then pass along down through the 
noted persecutions of the church of God under pagan Rome, 
and we see, indeed, tribulation. And when we come to 
the period of papal persecutions, we see them suffering the 
most cruel tortures, and dying the most dreadful deaths that 
wicked men and demons could inflict. This last period is 
especially noted in prophecy. 

The prophet Daniel saw the papacy, its blasphemy, its 
ignorance, its work of death on the saints, and its duration 
as a persecuting power, under the symbol of the little 
horn. 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUK. 43 

"And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall 
wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and 
laws ; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and 
the dividing of time." Dan. 7 : 25. 

It is generally admitted that " a time and times and the 
dividing of time" is 1260 years. The proof of it may 
readily be seen by comparing Rev. 12 ; 14r, 6 ; 13 : 5, with 
the scripture j ust quoted. In these passages we learn that 
'^time, times, and the dividing of time" is equivalent to a 
thousand two hundred and threescore days, which equals 
three and one half Biblical years, or ' ' forty and two 
months." Applying the scriptural rule of interpretation, a 
day for a year (Eze. 4:6; Kum. 14 : 34), we have 1260 years. 

This period is to cover the supremacy of the papacy. 
The beginning of it will be the point of the establishment 
of the power of the papacy. This was the year. 538 a. d. 
Justinian, emperor of Rome, with his capital at Constanti- 
nople, espoused the cause of the bishop of Rome; and in 
533 A. D. issued a decree which constituted that prelate 
head of all the churches. But the Arian Ostrogoths had 
possession of Rome, and it was not until they had been 
rooted up that the city was accessible to the bishop. This 
was accomplished in 538, by Belisarius, Justinian's cele- 
brated general. For a concise and clear account of this 
occurrence we refer the reader to the "Two Republics," 
by A. T. Jones, pp. 551-553. 

We pause here only to say that the few words quoted 
above from the prophet Daniel, give us an insight into 
the work of the papacy during the 1260 years of its almost 
undisputed rule over the consciences of men. The appli- 
cation of the prophecy to the papal church is so evident 
that no Protestant can consistently question it. It fills the 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 45 

niche in history which prophecy has assigned to this symbol, 
and no other power approaches the fulfillment of the specifi- 
cations, while papal Rome fulfills every particular exactly. 
The language of Daniel here quoted corresponds with that 
of the Eevelator and of Paul, 2 Thess. 2 : 3, 4. 

From these scriptures we gain an idea of the character of 
that system of religion which grew out of the amalgamation 
of the professed church of Christ with the paganism of 
the Roman empire. 

*'He shall speak great words against the Most High." 
This the papacy has done in the assumption of arrogant and 
blasphemous titles, and in pretending to assume the preroga- 
tives of God upon earth. '' And shall wear out the saints of 
the Most High" by the most dreadful persecutions and 
cruelties, as we have already intimated. "And think to 
change times and laws : and they shall be given into his 
hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." 
Should any one inquire for Bible authority for the change of 
the Sabbath from the seventh day of the week which God 
blest and sanctified, to the first day, this scripture is the only 
direct reference that can be given. The Revised Version 
divests the language of any apparent ambiguity by rendering 
it, " He shall think to change the tim<j8 and the law." !N"o 
one will ask what law, because human laws are ever subject 
to change. And it is not said that he shall change the law, 
but he shall *' think to change " it. 

This church Lae done that very work. The second com- 
mandment of the decalogue, which forbids image worship 
has been expunged and is not taught in Catholic catechisms, 
and the tenth commandment has been divided to make up 
the number. But this is not all. The fourth commandment 
has been rent and mangled beyond recognition by the power 
of that false church who, as Paul said, was to oppose and 



46 AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUK. 

exalt himself above God. There is not the slightest evi- 
dence of Sunday observance to be found in the New Testa- 
ment ; but by the middle of the second century we have 
slight traces of the beginning of a custom to observe the 
first day of the week as a day of .feasting and religious 
assembly, in honor of Christ's resurrection. At the same 
time the Sabbath was kept according to the commandment. 
Sunday had for ages been sacred to the worship of the sun, 
from which fact it derives its name. A most unfortunate 
tendency to conciliate the heathen world prevailed in the 
church in those days, and Sunday observance became one of 
the main features of the compromise that was effected. By 
pagans it was accepted as the sacred solar holiday, and by 
Christians, in a measure at least, as a memorial of the resur- 
rection of Christ, although not by divine sanction or sugges- 
tion. The first recognition of Sunday observance by law, 
either from ecclesiastical or civil authority, was in the 
famous edict of the emperor Constantine, a. d. 321. This 
great ruler recognized Sunday as the venerable day of the 
sun, and enjoined upon people living in cities to refrain 
from labor on that day. Forty-three years later, the council 
of Laodicea gave a great impulse to the Sunday cause by 
placing a blessing upon those who observed that day and an 
anathema upon those who observed the Sabbath. From 
this time forward, as the papacy was more fully developed 
and more perfectly strengthened, Sunday observance was 
more rigidly enforced and more universally practiced. 

Commencing the 1260 years A. d. 538, they reach to 
A. D. 1798, when Berthier, a French general, took posses- 
sion of Rome. The pope was made a prisoner and carried 
with violence away from his palace and out of Italy. The 
papacy was stripped of its civil power. Here ended the 
days of tribulation spoken of by our Lord, which were — 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 47 

SHORTENED FOR THE ELECT'S SAKE. 

Vkrse 23: "And except those days should be shortened, there 
should no flesh be saved ; but for the elect's sake those days shall be 
shortened." 

The papacy was clothed with civil power to punish here- 
tics, which it held for 1260 years ; and had not the period 
of tribulation of the elect in the providence of God been 
shortened, the martyrdom of the church would have con- 
tinued to 1798, in which event, no flesh of the elect would 
have been saved. But the Keformation under Martin 
Luther, and those associated with this great reformer, modi- 
fied this tribulation, and continued to restrain the rage and 
power of the papacy until the suppression of the Jesuits 
in 1773, since which time, there has been no general per- 
secution waged against the church. Thus we are brought in 
this prophetic discourse of our Lord, down into the eight- 
eenth century, very near the present time. We would 
naturally expect, then, that the instructions and warnings 
which follow would be applicable to this generation. 

LO, HERE, AND LO, THERE. 

Verses 23-27: "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is 
Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false christs, and 
false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, 
if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have 
told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is 
in the desert ; go not forth : behold, he is in the secret chambers ; 
believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth 
even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." 

In these verses the great theme of Christ's second com- 
ing is again vividly brought forth. Satan is ever on the 
alert to contravene by some device or art, the work of God. 
His most successful plan is to deceive. By this means he 
gains ready access to all such as desire to evade the force of 



48 HIS GLORIOUS APPEARING : 

truth. And having deceived an individual, he not only pre- 
vents his salvation, but gains to himself an adherent if not 
an active agent. So, as the time for the second advent 
draws near, the enemy becomes particularly active, know- 
ing that he hath but a short time. In the words last 
quoted our Lord seeks to prepare the minds of his peo- 
ple for the deceptions that are to be practiced upon those 
who live near the time of his second coming. There 
will be those who will cry, "Lo, here ; or Lo, there," some 
will even claim to be Christ. They will purport to repre- 
sent the truth in regard to Christ's coming in various 
plausible or fanatical ways. Others, in order to reach 
other minds, will present theories of human device ac- 
counting for the advent of Christ in various so-called ra- 
tional schemes. Many sincere people will be led to expect 
the conversion of the world through a millennium of peace. 
Others will be persuaded that the coming of Christ means 
death. And even false prophets, showing great signs and 
wonders, will appear. All these form an atmosphere of 
deception, the miasma of which will stupefy, if it were 
possible, the elect of God. 

In this fearful work will be engaged the notorious 
deceiver, the trained agents of Satan, the worldly phil- 
osopher, worldly preachers, popular ministers, critics of 
the Bible, and many whose eyes do not discern the signs 
of the times. The Mormons call the people to the desert ; 
Spiritualism invites us to the secret chamber, where Satanic 
signs and wonders are wrought to captivate the mind and 
divert it from the truth. Of these *' false prophets" Paul 
in 1 Tim. 4:1: — 



*'Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some 
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines 
of devils." 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 49 

In another scripture the apostle places the coming of 
Christ in connection with — 

*' The working of Satan with all power and signs and l^ing won- 
ders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that 
perish ; because they received not the love of the truth, that they 
might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong 
delusions, that they should believe a lie." 2 Thess. 2 : 9-11. 

These are some of the deceptions of which Christ is 
speaking in the text. It is undoubtedly the work of 
modern Spiritualism. This work, in its present form, 
originated in the year 1848, and constitutes and is to 
constitute one of the most prominent signs of the end. 

Let no one be deceived by any means. For these 
are but subterfuges. T^hey are not the coming of Christ. 
He has said, "I will come again, and receive you unto 
myself." John 14 : 3. 

The angels said at his ascension, — 

'* This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall 
80 come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11. 

Paul tells us, — 

" The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with 
the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God." 1 Thess. 
4; 16. 

And here our Saviour says : — 

"As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth unto the 
west ; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." 

He will come literally, personally, the same Jesus 
who was here upon the earth. Not in lowly form as an 
offering for sin, to be set at naught, abused, and crucified, 
but in " all his glory" attended with ''all the holy angels." 
Matt. 25 : 31. We shall know when he comes for -'every 
eye shall see him." Eev. 1: 7. 

4 



50 His GLORIOUS appearing: 

None of these evasions of the truth will ever be able 
to counterfeit the real event. The Roman armj did not 
come to Jerusalem in this way. Death does not come in 
this waj. The deceptive wonders of Spiritualism cannot 
imitate the glory of Christ's second coming. He will come 
in power and great glory (verse 30) ; he will come in the 
glory of his Father (chapter 16 : 27) ; and in the glory of 
the holy angels (Luke 9 : 26) ; all the holy angels shall 
come with him. Matt. 25 : 31. His coming will be as 
glorious and resplendent as the lightning. When Jesus 
revealed himself to Saul of Tarsus, there was a light above 
the brightness of the sun (Acts 26 : 13) ; of the angel who 
appeared at the tomb after the resurrection of Jesus it is 
said, "His countenance was like lightning" (Matt. 28 : 3) ; 
and Ezekiel says of the messengers of the Most High, 
they ''ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of 
lightning. " Eze. 1 : 14. 

When Jesus comes in the glory of his Father, with 
so glorious a train attendant, his coming will indeed be as 
the lightning coming out of the east and shining to the west, 
and no one will have any more occasion or opportunity to 
say to his fellow, "See here," than one would have to call 
another to behold a gleam of lightning flashing through the 
heavens. The vivid lightning flashing out of the distant 
east, and shining even to the west, lights up the whole 
heavens. What, then, when the Lord comes in flaming 
glory, and all the holy angels with him ? The presence 
of only one holy angel at the sepulcher where Christ 
lay dead, caused the Eoman guard to shake, and become 
as dead men. The light and glory of one angel com- 
pletely overpowered those strong sentinels. The Son of 
man is coming in his own kingly glory, and in the glory of 
Lis Father, attended by all the holy angels. Then the 



AN EXPOSITIOISr OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 51 

whole heavens will blaze with glorj, and the whole earth 
will tremble before him. 

THE SIGNS OF CHRIST'S COMING. 

Verses 29-31: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days 
shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and 
the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall 
be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in 
heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall 
see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and 
great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a 
trumpet; and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, 
from one end of heaven to the other." 

We have before seen that our Lord speaks in this 
chapter of the long period of tribulation that was to come 
upon his followers, and we have also seen how those days 
of tribulation were shortened for the elect's sake. Christ 
says that the sun should be darkened immediately after the 
tribulation of those days. Mark in his gospel, gives it as 
follows : — 

" In those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, 
and the moon shall not give her light." Mark 13 : 24. 

This makes the time in which the sun was to be dark- 
ened more distinct and definite. The days of tribulation 
were the 1260 years of papal supremacy, beginning in 538 
A. D. and ending with the capture of Eome and the pope 
by the French in 1798. But we have already seen that the 
*' tribulation " or persecution of those days was ''short- 
ened " for the elect's sake. That is, the active persecution 
of the church by papal power ceased in 1773. Then, ac- 
cording to Mark's statement, the sun should be darkened 
between that date and 1798. It was fulfilled. May 19, 
1780, has passed into history as "the dark day." 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 53 

This is a fact of so general knowledge that we need not 
consume space in elucidating it. A few references to un- 
doubted authorities will suffice. 

Noah Webster's dictionary, in the edition for 1869, 
under the head of Explanatory and Pronouncing Vocabulary 
of Noted Names, says : — 

" Tlie dark day. May 19, 1780 — so called on account of a remarkable 
darkness on that day extending over all New England. In some places, 
persons could not see to read common print in the open air for several 
hours together. Birds sang their evening songs, disappeared, and 
became silent ; fowls went to roost ; cattle sought the barn-yard ; and 
candles were lighted in the houses. The obscuration began about ten 
o'clock in the morning, and continued till me middle of the next night, 
but with differences of degree and duration in different places. For 
several days previous, the wind had been variable, but chiefiy from 
the south-west and the north-east. The true cause of this remarkable 
phenomenon is not known." 

From another good authority we quote : — 

*' A solemn gloom of unusual darkness before ten o'clock, — a still 
darker cloud rolling under the sable curtain from the north and west 
before eleven o'clock, — excluded the light so that none could see to 
read or write in the House, even at either window, or distinguish 
persons at a small distance, or perceive any distinction of dress in 
the circle of attendants ; wherefore, at eleven o'clock adjourned the 
House till two in the afternoon." — Journal of the Connecticut House of 
Bepresentatives, Friday, May 19, 1780. 

Herschel, the great astronomer, says : — 

"The dark day in Northern America was one of those wonderful 
phenomena of nature which will always be read with interest, but 
which philosophy is at a loss to explain." 

A contemporary paper contained the following : — 

'* During the whole time a sickly, melancholy gloom overcast the 
face of nature. Nor was the darkness of the night less uncommon and 
terrifying than that of the day, for notwithstanding there was almost a 



54 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

full moon, no object was discernible but by the help of some artificial 
light, which seen from the neighboring houses and other places at 
a distance appeared through a kind of Egyptian darkness which seemed 
almost impervious to its rays. This unusual phenomenon excited 
the fears and apprehensions of many people." — Mass. Spy, Corre- 
spondence, 1780. 

From another good authority we take the following : — 

" Almost, if not altogether alone as the most mysterious and as yet 
unexplained phenomenon of its kind in nature's diversified range of 
events during the last century, stands the dark day of May 19, 1780, 
a most unaccountable darkening of the whole visible heavens and 
atmosphere in New England, which brought intense alarm and distress 
to multitudes of minds, as well as dismay to the brute creation, the 
fowls fleeing, bewildered, to their roosts, and the birds to their nests, 
and the cattle returning to their stalls. Indeed thousands of the good 
people of that day became fully convinced that the end of all things 
terrestrial had come ; many gave up, for the time, their secular pursuits, 
and betook themselves to religious devotions." — "Our First Century." 

An extract from a sermon preached at that time will be 
of interest : — 

"But especially I mention that wonderful darkness on the 19th of 
May.inst. [1780]. Then, as in our text, the sun was darkened; such 
a darkness as probably was never known before since the crucifixion 
of our Lord. People left their work in the house and in the field. 
Travelers stopped ; schools broke up at eleven o'clock ; people lighted 
candles at noonday ; and the fire shone as at night. Some people, I 
have been told, were in dismay, and thought whether the day of Judg- 
ment was not drawing on. A great part of the following night also 
was singularly dark. The moon, though in the full, gave no light, as in our 
text." — From a manuscript sermon hy Rev. Elam Potter, delivered May 
28, 1780. 

By the remarkable obscuration of the moon on the fol- 
lowing night, the next sign, " And the moon shall not give 
her light," was fulfilled. Concerning this it is only neces- 
sary to insert a few words : — 



AN" EXPOSITIOjST OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. ■ 55 

*' The night succeeding that day (May 19, 1780) was of such pitcli}' 
darkness that, in some instances, horses could not be compelled to 
leave the stable when wanted for service. About midnight, the clouds 
were dispersed, and the moon and stars appeared with unimpared 
brilliancy. *' — ** Stone's History of Beverly.'" 

Mr. Tennj, of Exeter, N. H., quoted by Mr. Gage, 
to the Historical Society, speaking of the dark day and 
dark night of May 19, 1780, says : — 

"The darkness of the following evening was probably as gross 
as has ever been observed since the Almighty first gave birth to light. 
I could not help conceiving at the time, that if every luminous body in 
the universe had been shrouded in impenetrable darkness, or struck 
out of existence, the darkness could not have been more complete. 
A sheet of white paper held within a few inches of the eye was equally 
invisible with the blackest velvet." 

Concerning a similar phenomenon in the Old World 
a reliable work says : — 

"Three years later, and Europe with its teeming millions went 
under as mysterious a cloud, which, though not so dense, yet continued 
longer and awoke a wonder and fear that was widely felt. A haze, 
for which no known cause was then assigned (though in subsequent 
years it has been supposed by some to have been volcanic dust), spread 
through the entire breadth of the atmosphere over all the continent far 
into Asia. It appeared in Denmark, May 29, reached France, June 14 ; 
Italy, June 16 ; Noi-way, June 23 ; Austria and Switzerland, June 23 ; 
Sweden, June 24; and Russia, June 25. By the close of the month it 
had overspread like a pall all Syria, and on July 18, had penetrated 
the heart of Asia to the Altai Mountains. The obscurity prevailed a 
greater portion of the summer, imparting to the sun an unnatural 
color of a dull, rusty red, and causing both the days and nights to wear 
a weird and gloomy aspect. The atmosphere was highly electric, and 
nature was greatly convulsed. 

"Dr. N. Webster in his valuable 'History of Pestilences,* vol. ii. 
p. 274, testifies to the general fear. As it was in America on the occur- 
rence of the 'dark day,' so the churches in Europe were crowded with 
alarmed multitudes supplicating mercy of Heaven. Professor Lalande 




^ 



THE FALLING STARS 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 57 

the astronomer of France, attempted to quiet the popular fear by 
ascribing the darkened heavens to exhalations arising out of the earth ; 
but both "Webster and Humboldt (Cosmos IV-, p. 75) rejected this 
solution of the mysterious obscuritjo Protestant England shared in 
the alarm it occasioned ; and the poet Cowper sang that all the ele 
ments 'preached the general doom.' It was to this unaccountable 
obscuration of light that he refers in his 'Task:' — 

** 'Nature seems with dim and sickly eye 
To wait the close of all.' " 

— ** Great Consummation.** 

"AND THE STARS SHALL FALL." 

flow this sign can be fulfilled is a query with some 
people, who, perhaps captiously, remark that it would be 
impossible, since the earth itself is but a small body com- 
pared with many of the vast worlds of space. But all such 
queries are out of date now since the sign itself has already 
been witnessed. On'the night of November 13, 1833, the 
grandest display of celestial fireworks ever beheld took 
place. From works of accepted authority we take the fol- 
lowing descriptions of this remarkable event : — 

"But the most sublime phenomenon of shooting stars, of which 
the world has furnished any record, was witnessed throughout the 
United States on the morning of the 13th of November, 1833. The 
entire extent of this astonishing exhibition has not been precisely 
ascertained ; but it covered no inconsiderable portion of the earth's 
surface. . . . The first appearance was that of fireworks of the most 
imposing grandeur, covering the entire vault of heaven with myriads of 
fire-balls, resembling sky-rockets. Their coruscations were bright, 
gleaming, and incessant, and they fell thick as the flakes in the early 
snows of December. To the splendors of this celestial exhibition the 
most brilliant sky-rockets and fire-works of art bear less relation than the 
twinkling of the most tiny star to the broad glare of the sun. The 
whole heavens seemed in motion, and suggested to some the awful 
grandeur of the image employed in the Apocalypse, upon the opening 
of the sixth seal, when ' the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even 



AN EXPOSITIOI^ OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 59 

as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, wlien she is shaken of a mighty 
wind.' " — Burritfs " Geography of the Heavens" p. 163, ed. 185 Jf. 

A celebrated astronomer and meteorologist, says : — 

" Those who were so fortunate as to witness the exhibition of shoot- 
ing stars on the morning of Nov. 13, 1833, probably saw the greatest 
display of celestial fire-works that has ever been since the creation of 
the world, or at least within the annals covered by the pages of history. 

" In nearly all places the meteors began to attract notice by their 
unusual frequency as early as eleven o'clock, and increased in numbers 
and splendor until r.bout four o'clock, from which time they gradually 
declined, but were visible until lost in the light of day. The meteors 
did not fly at random over all parts of the sky, but appeared to emanate 
from a point in the constellation Leo, near a star called Gamma Le- 
onis, in the bend of the Sickle. . . . 

"The extent of the shower of 1833 was such as to cover no incon- 
siderable part of the earth's surface, from the middle of the Atlantic 
on the east to the Pacific on the west ; and from the northern coast 
of South America to undefined regions among the British possessions 
on the north, the exhibition was visible, and everywhere presented nearly 
the same appearance. This is no longer to be regarded as a terrestrial 
but a celestial phenomenon , and shooting stars are now to be no more 
viewed as casual productions of the upper regions of the atmosphere, 
but as visitants from other worlds, or from the planetary voids." — Frof 
Olmstead, of Yale College. 

'■'No philosopher or scholar has told or recorded an event, I sup- 
pose, like that of yesterday morning. A prophet 1800 years ago foretold 
it exactly, if we will be at the trouble of understanding stars falling 
to mean falling stars ; or ' hoi asteres ton ouranou e^esan eis teen geen,' 
in the only sense in which it is possible to be literally true."^ — Henry 
Dana Ward, in Journal oj Commerce, Nov. IJf, 1833. 

Not only here in Matthew 24 is attention directed to 
these signs as premonitory of the coming of Christ. The 
Lord through the prophet Joel bays : — 

"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood 
before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come." 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUK. 



61 



Under the sixth seal, as given in Kev. 6 : 12-17, we 
have the following language : — 

"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there 
was a great earthquake ; and the sun became black as sackcloth of 
hair, and the moon became as blood ; and the stars of heaven fell unto 
the earth even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is 
shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when 
it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out 
of their places." 

That the fourth and fifth seals apply to the papal per- 
secution there can be no reasonable doubt. If so, then the 
great earthquake with which the sixth seal opens would be 
that of Lisbon, in 1755, which agitated the greater part of 
the earth and destroyed many thousands of lives, 60,000 
in Lisbon alone. 

The darkening of the sun and moon follows in 1780, 
and the falling of the stars in 1833. Consequently the 
next event which we are to expect under this seal is the 
departing of the heavens as a scroll. This being future, we 
may say that we are living between the thirteenth and 
fourteenth verses of Revelation 6. 

In the gospel as written by Luke, however, we have at 
this point some additional specifications given, which are of 
such interest at the present juncture. And they rightfully 
belong to this exposition, since both Matthew and Luke are 
giving versions of the same discourse. The passage from 
Luke to which reference is made is the following : — 

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the 
stars ; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity ; the sea 
and the waves roaring ; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for look- 
ing after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of 
heaven shall be shaken." Luke 21 : 25-27. 




64 ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT MCKINLEY, 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 65 

The signs in the sun, moon, and stars are here spoken of 

less specifically than by Matthew, while other features of the 
times, which Matthew does not notice, are introduced between 
those signs and the shaking of the powers of heaven. These 
are of peculiar interest to us because we are living in the 
very days when the things that Luke speaks of are coming 
to pass. The signs here predicted consist of violent commo- 
tions upon earth which cause anxiety, perplexity, and distress 
among nations and in the hearts of men. We may refer the 
expression, *' the sea and the waves roaring," to unusual dis- 
turbances of the natural elements, and we have the most 
abundant evidences of its fulfillment in the storms and con- 
vulsions of nature that are occurring by sea and land, filling 
the heart with dread at the sight of every dark cloud that 
arises. The tidal waves and volcanic upheavals at sea have, 
in the last two or three decades, been marked with extraor- 
dinary violence. On land, cyclones and earthquakes have 
carried on a fearful work of destruction. Many instances 
might be cited to substantiate this statement, but the events 
are too familiar to require it. Hardly a week passes bul 
some great calamity of this kind is recorded. 

But the expression referred to is probably susceptible 
of another application in which it will be found to be as 
forcible and pertinent to the present state of affairs as in 
the one just noticed. This would be to give the term ''sea 
and waves" its symbolic meaning. The prophet of old 
said: ''And behold the four winds of heaven strove upon 
the great sea." Dan. 7 : 2. We are told that the sea repre- 
sents "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." 
Rev. 17 : 15. Taking the words in this sense, the meaning 
and fulfillment are still as apparent as before ; and the ex- 
pression joins its force to that of the remainder of the pas- 
sage— ^ *' iipon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity. 




66 



LAZARUS AT THE RICH HAN'S GATE, 



AIT EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 67 

the sea and the waves roaring ; men's hearts failing them 
for fear and for looking after those things which are coming 
on the earth." In this sense the expression in question 
would indicate commotion and violent disturbance in the 
social and political world. In this meaning all will at once 
see the vivid force of the text as applied to our times. 

The times we live in are anomalous to any that have 
ever preceded us. For some years there have been uni- 
versal and active preparations for war, and almost universal 
peace. To secure the greatest efficiency of armed forces 
for defensive and offensive purposes, has been the prime 
consideration of government, especially so, as far as the Old 
World nations are concerned. Europe echoes to the tread 
of vast hosts of war while the nations are driven to their 
wits' end to provide for their support. It is well known that 
these costly preparations are not for show ; and the hearts 
of men quail in view of the culmination which, though de- 
layed, must soon be reached. 

But while the temple of Janus is closed as far as interna- 
tional strife is concerned, and angel hands are holding the 
winds of war (see Kev. 7 : 1-3), internal strife and dissension 
are rending the vitals of the great nations of earth. Within 
the confines of its own border, each of these nations is cher- 
ishing elements of the deadliest nature. Trouble is brewing 
that has for the people far more terror than foreign compli- 
cations. For some time the ominous mutterings of an on- 
coming storm have been heard in every land, and it requires 
no remarkable acumen to discern the rapid approach of the 
crisis. 

The apostle James strikes directly at the matter in a 
prophetic glance and exhortation in the following Ian 
guage: — 



68 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

" Go to now, ye rich, men, weep and howl for your miseries that 
shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments 
are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered ; and the rust of them 
shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. 
Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Beheld, the hire 
of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you 
kept back by fraud, crieth ; and the cries of them which have reaped 
are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Ye have lived in 
pleasure on the earth, and been wanton ; ye have nourished your 
hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the 
just ; and he doth not resist you." James 5 : 1-6. 

The apostle locates the circumstances he here refers to 
in the last days. Fie denounces the rich men who have 
heaped together treasures, the rust and canker of which will 
be a witness against them. They live in pleasure and wan- 
tonness while the cries of those whose wages they have kept 
back enter into the ears of the Lord of Hosts. 

There is a universal cry of hard times in all the world. 
It is hard to obtain money ; and jet, there never was so much 
money as at present. But it is being collected — gath- 
ered in heaps — by the powerful few, while the limited 
means of the masses are dwindling lower and lower. The 
poorer classes witness the absorption of wealth by the 
money-kings, with feelings that are being aroused to the 
point of desperation by the sense of their inability to secure 
what seems to them a more equitable distribution of the 
things of this world. The laborers cry, and God hears 
their cry. 

That these things are taking place to-day as the most 
prominent feature of our social life no one will for a moment 
deny. Such colossal fortunes the world has heretofore at 
most but dreamed of. There are men living to-day who 
have risen in wealth from obscure stations to become lords 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW . TWENTY-FOUE. 69 

of untold millions. Their wealth passes the bounds of just 

computation, for it includes the power of oppression by which 
it may be indefinitely increased. The lavish expenditure of 
these means for selfish pleasure often amounts to wan« 
tonness. 

Well then, what is to be done ? It is a difficult and 
delicate matter to frame and secure legislation by which 
this or any other class of men shall be deprived of the 
management of their own business as long as that business 
is legitimate and is legitimately conducted. Sliall anarchy 
and violence be resorted to? Shall the laborer seize the 
torch and the weapons of death ? Shall the country be 
devastated by strikes, strife, and civil war ? Shall our com- 
munities be rent with murder, arson, treason, and intense 
personal hatred and enmity ? No one possessing the natu- 
ral instincts of humanity could contemplate such a condition 
of affairs except with horror. There are ghouls of society 
who gloat in blood ; but such are not true citizens, they 
are not neighbors, they certainly are not Christians. 

But what shall we do as citizens, neighbors, and Chris- 
tians? This is a question of great importance just now. 
Inspiration long ago foresaw our situation. The pitying 
Saviour long since anticipated the sufferings that are to 
come upon this generation ; and having, through his serv- 
ant, outlined the present condition of affairs so closely, he 
certainly would not leave his followers uninformed as to 
the course he would have them pursue. We have to read 
only two verses farther in James's letter to find the counsel 
we need. 

" Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, 
the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath 
long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 71 

also patient ; stablish your hearts ; Jot the coming of the Lord drawet,\ 
nigh.** James 5 : 7, 8. 

Oppression and revolt, combination and intrigue, strife 
and bloodshed, never will cease until the supreme selfish- 
ness, which in the absence of divine grace controls all men, 
gives place to true philanthropy, and a brotherhood that 
is not outlined by class or sectional interests. This happy 
time is coming. When Jesus comes, he will take to himself 
his power and reign in righteousness. Then will the bills 
be brought low, the valleys exalted, the crooked be made 
straight, and the rough places smooth. 

Those who are weary of strife, those who through mis- 
fortune or oppression have been made to feel their need 
of relief will find rest to their souls in looking for the 
coming of the Lord. It is vain to match evil with evil or 
to try to cure wrong with wrong. The gospel of Christ is 
the only remedy for these ills. And all that we can really 
do to counteract the annoyances of this life must be done 
through the gospel of peace. In this time of perplexity, 
distress, and fear, let every Christian hold up Christ. Let 
his patient suffering be exemplified in whatever circum- 
stances may come. Just a little beyond, there is relief. 

Strikes, boycotts, lock-outs, trusts, unions, or any other 
human device or demonstration only augments the trouble, 
as the experience of the past few years shows. For there 
never was so much of these things as now, and never was 
capital so insecure, business so uncertain, and labor in such 
distress as at present. The employment of arbitrary force 
provokes greater efforts on the opposite side, and thus the 
breach is widened and the strife becomes more bitter. We 
do not argue the merits or demerits of the case. That there 
is deep wrong involved, the fruits plainly show. It is our 
task only to point out the one remedy available alike to 



72 HIS GLORIOUS appeabing: 

either and all. That remedy is the gospel of Christ, which 
is soon to close in a glorious triumph for those who have 
patiently and faithfully wrought his will. 

"THE POWERS OF HEAVEN SHALL BE SHAKEN." 

We do not apprehend that this circumstance will occur 
as a sign of Christ's coming, but rather that it will constitute 
one of the events of his coming, the same as the features 
mentioned in the next verse. An evident distinction mav 
be drawn between the signs of the advent and the circum- 
stances of it. With the falling of the stars, the f jrmer 
cease ; and with the next event the latter commence. This 
event, the shaking of the powers of heaven, we muj^t regard 
as being future. It holds the same place in the events 
of this chapter, that the departing of the heavens as a 
scroll does in the events of the s'xth seal of Eevelation 6. 
Both follow the falling stars. The Scriptures plainly teach 
that, prior to the resurrection of the just by the voice of 
the Son of God, the voice of God the Father will shake the 
heavens and the earth, when will be fulfilled the shading 
of the powers of the heaven. This is not the voice of the 
Son of God as he descends to raise the dead. It coines 
from the throne of God in the temrle of heaven. 

"The Lord also shall roar ou^ of Zion, and utter his voice from 
Jerusaleni, and the heavens ar_.d the earth shall shake; but the Lord 
will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of 
Israel." Joel 3 : 16. 

"Therefore will I shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out 
of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of hit 
fierce anger." Isa. 13 : 13. 

Paul quotes from the words of the Lord by Haggai and 
comments as follows * — 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUKo Vd 

"Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And 
this word, yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that 
are shaken." Heb. 13:26, 27. 

"SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN." 

Neither is this one of the signs showing that the com- 
ing of the Son of man if near, but "the sign of the Son of 
man in heaven." It is that which indicates his position. 
"When Christ ascended from the mount of Olivet, "a cloud 
received him - ■ from the sight of his disciples. They still 
gazed at the cloud as it rolled upward, bearing the Saviour 
toward the Father's throne; but they could not see his 
person. When he comes *4n like manner " as he was taken 
up to heaven, the cloud will appear, small in the distance, 
but as it draws near, it will signify to those who are look- 
ing for Lis return, that he is there, and soon his presence 
will fill the earth with matchless glory. In Rev. 14 : 14, 
the holy seer records his view of the coming Saviour in 
the following words: "And I looked, and behold a white 
cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of 
man." 

This is not a mass of vapor but a cloud of resplendent 
glory. He comes "with power and great glory." He 
will "come in the glory of his Father" (Matt. 16 : 2T) ; 
in his own glory, "and all the holy angels with him." 
Matt. 25 : 31. The glory of the Father, of the Son, and 
of all the holy angels — this glory will comprise the cloud 
which attends him on the way. Of its intensity we can 
form no just conception. In the presence of one angel 
the Roman guard ' ' did quake and became as dead men." 
There are ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands 
of thousands of them in this throng. Above the bright- 
ness p£ their glory is that of the Father and the Son- 



74 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

At first the cloud is only perceptible, but as it approaches, 
it attracts attention, and at length every eye is fastened 
intently upon the wonderful spectacle. The trumpet re- 
sounds, the voice of the Archangel awakens the dead, and 
they come forth to share in the glorious revelation of 
their Eedeemer. All nature is convulsed with her coming 
dissolution. Each moment the glory draws nearer, and 
soon the wicked can no longer endure the sight. 

"And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall 
see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and 
great glory." Verse 30. 

Again attention is directed to the parallel language of 
Rev. 6: 15-17: — 

"And tje kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich 
men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond 
man, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks 
of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks. Fall on ua 
and hide us-from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from 
the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come; and 
who shall be able to stand? " 

The prophet Isaiah describes the same thrilling event 
from the other standpoint — that of the waiting people of 
God: — 

" He will swallow up death in victory ; and the Lord God will 

wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall 
he take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it. 
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited 
for him, and he will save us : this is the Lord ; we have waited for 
him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." Isa. 25:8, 9. 

The apostle Paul gives a vivid description of the event 
with its attendant circumstances as follows : — 

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning 
them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have 



AIT EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 75 

no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so 
them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this 
we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and 
remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which 
are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a 
shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: 
and the dead in Christ shall rise first : then we which are alive and 
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet 
the Lord in the air ; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 
4 : 13-17. 

The once slighted, insulted, and crucified Saviour, now 
King of kings and Lord of lords, is coming near the earth! 
His glory blazes everywhere ! The saints hope and rejoice 
with trembling. But what an hour for the wicked ! The 
tribes of the earth mourn. Amid the ruins of shivered 
creation they hold one general prayer-meeting. Kings 
and great men, rich men, chief captains and mighty men, 
free and bond, all, yes, all unite in the general wail. As 
the Son of man in the glory of his Father, attended by 
all the holy angels, draws still nearer, consternation fills 
every breast. They hide in dens and in the rocks of the 
mountains. Their only hope is to be concealed from the 
glory of that scene. They know it is too late to pray for 
mercy, that probation for the human family has ended 
forever. 

But rocks cannot shelter them from the burning glory 
rcanifested by the King of kings, attended by the whole 
heavenly host. When ''the Son of man shall come in the 
glory of the Father," "and all the holy angels with him," 
no sinner can endure the scene and live. The exceeding 
brightness oi that vast multitude of angels, brighter than 
a thousand suns at noonday, will pierce the sinner's lowest 
hiding place, and will "make even a speedy riddance of 
all them that dwell in the land." Zeph. 1:18. The Son 



76 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

of man will be seen '^coming in the clouds of heaven 
with power and great glory." But before his coming a 
great work will be done for his people. Should he sud- 
denly burst upon them now, they could not endure "the 
power and great glory" of the scene. This subject is 
well illustrated by the following words of the prophet: — 

"Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; his 
going forth is prepared as the morning ; and he shall come unto us as 
the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Hosea 6 :3. 

The morning is a beautiful figure of the opening glory 
of the day of God. The day-star first appears, then the 
dawn of day. And as the light of day increases, the eyes 
are enabled to endure it, and view the sun shining in his 
strength. But should the light of the sun burst upon the 
world suddenly at midnight, no human eye could endure it. 

So will the people of God be prepared to meet their 
coming King. They must first break away from the love 
and cares of this world, and consecrate all to the Lord. 
Then will they, in due time, share the outpouring of the 
Holy Spirit "as the rain, as the latter and former rain 
upon the earth." The day-star will arise in their hearts. 
2 Peter 1 : 19. Those who have taken heed to the sure 
word of prophecy through the dark, watching night, then 
raise their heads in triumph. They are filled with faith 
and with the Holy Spirit. Glory is poured upon them till 
they can gaze on Christ and angels. The trumpet sounds. 
The angels are dispatched to the graves of the righteous. 
The voice of the Son of God awakes the sleeping saints of 
all ages. They come forth in immortal perfection; and, 
as they leave the earth, the living saints are changed. 
The "elect from one end of heaven to the other," each 
with an angel bright and strong to lead the wav. are caught 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 77 

np to meet the Lord, who waits in mid-heaven to receive 
the purchase of his blood. As language would fail to de- 
scribe what follows, we leave the reader to contemplate it, 
praying that we may be prepared to participate in the meet- 
ing scene. 

THE RESURRECTION. 

Verse 31. ** And he shall send his angels with a grea'. sound of a 
trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect,, from the four winds, 
from one end of heaven to the ctLLer." 

But in the contemplation of these glorious events, we 
should not overlook the introduction of the resurrection at 
this point, which is one of the fundamental doctrines of 
divine revelation. When Jesus comes and all his holy 
angels with him, he sends his angels to gather his people 
from the four corners of the earth. The grave of every 
sleeping saint is visited, no matter when or where he died. 
Even the sea is called upon to give np its dead, the prison- 
house of the enemy is laid wide open, and from every part 
of the earth come forth the glorified bodies of those who 
sleep in Jesus. 

This to the Christian is the avenue to eternal life. The 

resurrection of the dead is the only hope of the people of 

God. Paul says : — 

** If the dead rise not, then is Christ not raised : and if Christ he not 
raised^ your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which 
are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." 

This makes the future life dependent upon the resurrec- 
tion. Unless there be a resurrection, all the good of past 
ages who have fallen asleep in Jesus ''are perished.'* There 
is no hope for Paul or Peter or John ; there is no hope for 
Abraham or David or any of the prophets ; there is no hope 
for those who have died in the gospel age, only through the 
resurrection of the dead. 



78 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

It is true that this doctrine does not agree with the idea 
that the righteous go to heaven immediately at death. But 
that idea, we find upon examination, is unscriptural ; for the 
Bible everywhere teaches that men are unconscious in death. 
See Job 14 : 10-12 ; Ps. 6:5; 146 : 3, 4 ; Eccl. 9 : 5, 6-10. 
Death is a sleep, — John 11:11-14; 2 Thess 4:13; and 
many other texts. 

Man lost his idght to immortality by sin and was driven 
away from the tree of life. An angel was placed with a 
flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life, lest man 
"put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and 
eat, and live for ever." Gen. 3 : 22-24. Thus by his own 
transgression, man was cut off from the means of eternal 
life, and the sentence of death passed upon all men, because 
all have sinned. All were hopelessly lost. The race was 
doomed to death. But as the apostle states. Life and im- 
mortality were brought to light through the gospel. Jesus, 
the Son of God, espoused the cause of the lost, and by him 
an avenue of life was opened. He became the resurrection 
and the life. John 11 : 25. 

It is noticeable in the verse under comment, as well as 
in all other scriptural references to the events attending the 
second coming of Christ, that the cases of the righteous 
have been decided previous to the advent of Christ, for 
when he comes, the angels are sent to gather only his peo- 
ple. This fact establishes another, and that is that there is 
an investigative judgment preceding the coming of Christ, in 
which the dead are judged out of the things which are writ- 
ten in the books. For a description of this judgment the 
reader is referred to Dan. 7 : 9, 10, and Kev. 20 : 11-15. 
All those whose names are found and retained in the book 
of life have their part in the first resurrection. Kev. 
20 : 5, 6. This is the resurrection unto life spoken of hy 



AN EXPOSITION" OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 79 

our Saviour in John 5 : 29, and is also the same spoken of in 
the text under consideration. All those who have by faith 
laid hold of the Saviour of men, and by their faithfulness 
demonstrated their loyalty to God, will have part in that 
glorious resurrection. And O what a meeting that will be ! 

PARABLE OF THE FIG-TREE. 

Verses 33, 33 : " Now learn a parable of the fig-tree ; when his 
branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is 
nigh. So likewise ye when ye shall see all these tMngs, know that it 
['•he," R. v.] is near, even at the doors." 

This parable is probably the most forcible figure that 
could be used with which to illustrate this subject. When 
the trees of the field begin to put forth their leaves, and 
the tender grass springs up, and the ground is being covered 
with its green velvet carpet, we know that summer is nigh. 
It is a certainty with us that summer is coming when we 
see these signs in nature. We know that summer is nigh 
"So, likewise,^'' or, with the same certainty, we may know 
that Christ's coming is near when the signs in the sun, 
moon, and stars are fulfilled. How near? — Even at the 
doors. How near may that be? 

Vekse 34 : "Verily I say unto you^ This generation shall not 
pass, till all these things be fulfilled. " 

It is sometimes claimed that the generation spoken of 
was the one then living. If so, it could have been to no 
greater extent than referring to the answer of the question 
relating to the destruction of Jerusalem. But it would 
be wholly illogical to limit the application of the statement 
to that generation or to place its principal significance 
there. " All these things " must include the signs and 
circumstances of which Christ has been speaking. In the 



80 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

preceding verses he gives the parable of the fig-tree, and 
addresses those who are to be living at that time directlj. 
''So likewise ye^ when ye shall see all these things, know 
that it is near." And then, ^^ This generation shall not 
pass." What generation? Evidently the one which he 
knew would be living and would see "these things come to 
pass." l^ot only does such an interpretation do no violence 
to the Saviour's meaning, but it is obviously the only one 
that can be reasonably entertained in regard to it. 

Paul speaks in the first person of those who will be 
living when Jesus comes, for he says. ''We shall not all 
sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the 
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump." 1 Cor. 15:51, 52. 
Or, "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught 
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in 
the air." 1 Thess. 4:17. The things here mentioned by 
the apostle did not take place in his day. They have not 
yet taken place. Notwithstanding, he speaks of them as 
though they would take place in his day, and as if he were 
to have a part in them. 

The proclamation of the coming and kingdom of Christ 
is given to the last generation. God sent Noah to preach 
to the last generation before the flood, not to any preced- 
ing one. The very generation which was destroyed by the 
waters of the flood saw Noah build the ark, and heard 
his warning voice. So God has raised up men to give the 
solemn warning to the world at the right time to give force 
to the warning. And the very generation of men that live 
after the three great signs are fulfilled, and who hear and 
reject the warning message of Heaven, will drink the cup 
of the unmingled wrath of God. And those of this very 
generation who receive the message, suffer disappointments, 
and endure the trials of the waiting position, will witness 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 81 

the coming of Christ, and exclaim, "Lo, this is our God; 
we have waited for him, and he will save us." Isa. 25 : 9. 

With what emphasis our Lord gave utterance to this 
sentiment ! It is a rebuke upon our unbelief. As we 
read it, God help us to believe it: ''Yerily I say unto 
you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be 
fulfilled. " And as though this were not enough to lead us 
to unwavering faith, he adds these forcible words : "Heaven 
and earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass 
away." 

The word and promises of men may fail ; but Christ 
has given assurance that his word, and his word in re- 
ference to this solemn truth, will stand though heaven and 
earth fail. 

"THE DAY AND HOUR.** 

Verses 36, 37 : " But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, 
not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of 
Noe were, so shall also the commg of the Son of man be.*' 

This has become a very familiar passage of scripture 
because of the frequent use that is made of it to prove that 
nothing can be known of the proximity of the second com- 
ing of Christ. But if we pause a moment and lay beside 
this verse those we have just studied, we shall be able to 
discover the exact truth at once. ''When ye shall see these 
things, know that it is near, even at the doors ; " and, ''This 
generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled ; " 
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man." The line 
of knowledge, then, lies between the former expressions and 
the latter — between "even at the doors" and the definite 
day and hour. The former we may know, and every 
Christian is commanded to know. The latter no man know- 
eth. One may consistently say that he knows an event is 



Al^ EXPOSITION" OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 83 

near, and yet say that he does not know the hour nor the 
day when it will take place. That this is the scriptural 
teaching upon this point may be readily proved by a refer- 
ence to 1 Thess. 5 : 1-4 : — 

" But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that 
I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the 
Lord so Cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say. 
Peace and safety ; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail 
upon a woman with child ; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, 
are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." 

An evident distinction is here drawn between two classes. 
Upon one class the day of the Lord will come as a thief. 
Those of the other are not in darkness that that day should 
come as a thief upon them. The children of God are 
children of light. Their heavenly Father knows the end 
from the beginning, and he has promised to reveal his 
secret to his people through his servants the prophets. 
Amos 3 : 7. 

The apostle Peter also bears testimony to the same truth. 

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do 
well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, 
until the day dawn and the day-star arise in your hearts." 2 Peter 
1:19. 

The dark place here spoken of is the future. The past 
is lighted up by history, the present is brought to our 
knowledge by press and telegraph ; but the future no 
human art or wisdom can penetrate. Prophecy throws its 
gleam into those dark regions, yet unexplored, and marks 
out the path of human history centuries and ages before 
it has echoed to the footsteps of mankind. When at last 
we pass along the pathway, we may, if we will, recognize 
the waymarks set up here and there, every one of which 



84 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

is a monument to the wisdom and knowledge of God, and 
the faithfulness of his word. Those who have no eyes to 
discern these things, no ears to hear, nor hearts to under- 
stand their significance, will pass on, and the final event 
will come upon them unawares. Not so with those who 
take heed to the things God has spoken. 

We would not detract an iota from the force of the 
verse under consideration. It means all it says. No man 
knows the definite time of Christ's coming. The day and 
hour, and even the year of the second advent are purposely 
hidden. Some of the prophetic periods reach to the time of 
the end, while others extend still farther down, very near to 
the end itself ; yet none of them reach to the coming of the 
Son of man. The prophecies clearly point to the period of 
the second advent, but do not give the definite time of that 
event. 

But with this passage before us we may claim that it 
would ba transcending its meaning to claim upon its au- 
thority that nothing should or could be known of the 
approach of Christ's coming. More than that, it is not 
inconsistent with the text nor improbable that prior to that 
event the Lord will in his own way reveal that which has 
hitherto been withheld. Those who claim that the text 
proves that nothing may be known of the period of the 
second advent, make it prove too much for their own unbe- 
lief. As recorded by Mark, the declaration reads: *'But 
of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the 
angels which are in Heaven, neither the Son, but the 
Father." If the text proves that men will know nothing 
of the period of the second advent, it also proves that 
angels will know nothing of it, and also that the Son will 
know nothing of it, till the event takes place! This position 
proves too much.^ therefore proves nothing to the point. 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 85 

Christ will know of the period of his second advent to 
this world. The holy angels who wait around the throne 
of heaven to receive messages relative to the part they act 
in the salvation of men, will know of the time of this clos- 
ing event of salvation. And so will the waiting, watching 
people of God understand. An old English version of the 
passage reads, *'But that day and hour no man maketli 
known, neither the angels which are in heaven, neither the 
Son, but the Father. " This is the correct reading, accord- 
ing to several of the ablest critics of the age. The word 
Tcnow is used in the same sense here that it is by Paul 
in 1 Cor. 2:2: ''For I determined not to know [make 
known] anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him 
crucified." Men will not make known the day and hour, 
angels will not make it knowi, neither will the Son ; but 
the Father will make it known. Says Campbell : — 

"Macknight argues that the term known is here used as a causative, 
in the Hebrew sense of the conjugation Mphil, that is, to make known. 
, . . His [Christ's] answer is just equivalent to saying, The Father will 
make it known when it pleases him; but he has not authorized man, 
angel, or the Son to make it known. Just in this sense, Paul uses the 
term know, 1 Cor. 2:2: 'I came to you making known the testimony of 
God; fori determined to make known nothing among you but a cruci- 
fied Christ.'" 

Albert Barnes, in his ''!N"otes on the Gospels," says : — 

" Others have said that the verb rendered knoweth means some- 
times to make known, or to reveal, and that the passage means, ' that 
day and hour none maketh known, neither the angels, nor the Son, but 
the Father.' It is true the word has sometimes that meaning, as 
ICor. 2:2." 

When the patriarch's work of warning and building was 
finished, God said to him, " Come thou and all thy house 
into the ark." "For yet seven days and I will cause it to 
rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights." So when 



Aiq^ EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 87 

the waiting, watching, weeping, toiling time shall be fin- 
ished, and the saints shall all be sealed, and shut in with 
God, then, we conclude, will the voice of the Father from 
heaven make known the definite time. See Rev. 16 : 17 ; 
Joel 3 : 16 ; Jer. 25 : 30. 

The present is emphatically the waiting, watching time. 
It is the especial period of the patience of the saints. The 
Lord appeals to us thus : — 

"Watch ye, therefore; for ye know not when the Master of the 
house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the 
morning; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say 
unto you I say unto all, Watch." Mark 13 : 35-37. 

One of the fatal consequences of not watching is dis- 
tinctly stated in Eev. 3:3: — 

*' If therefore thou shalt not watch. I will come on thee as a thief, 
and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." 

In consequence of not watching, the people will remain 
in ignorance of the approach of that hour. And tlie una- 
voidable inference is that by watching they will be aware 
of and prepared for its coming. In answer to the agonizing 
prayer of the Son of God, "Father, glorify thy name," there 
came a voice from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified 
it, and will glorify it again." The disciples understood 
these words from heaven, while the people that stood by 
said it thundered. John 12 : 27-29. So will the waiting 
disciples of Christ understand the voice of God when he 
shall speak from on high. But the unbelieving world will 
not understand it. In comparing Noah's days and ours, 
the Lord continues : — 

NOAH'S TIME AND OURS. 

Verses 38, 39: ''For as in the days that Vvsre before the flood, 
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until 



88 HIS GLORIOUS appeaking: 

the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood 
came, and took them all away ; so shall also the coming of the Son 
of man be." 

A picture of the present condition of the mass of man- 
kind is here drawn. The people of the last generation will 
be like those before the flood, while the ark was preparing. 
While Noah preached, and warned them of the coming 
flood, they mocked. He built the ark; and they scoffed and 
jeered. He was a preacher of righteousness. His works 
were calculated to give edge to, and send home to the heart, 
what he preached. Every righteous sermon, and every 
blow struck in building the ark, condemned a careless, 
scoffing world. As the time drew nearer, the people grew 
more careless, more hardened, more bold and impudent, 
and their condemnation surer. Noah and his family stood 
alone. And could one family know more than all the world ? 
The ark was a matter of ridicule, and Noah was regarded 
as a willful bigot. 

But the Lord calls Noah into the ark. And by the hand 
of Providence the beasts are led into the ark ; and the Lord 
shuts Noah in. This is regarded at first by the scoffing 
multitude as something wonderful ; but it is soon explained 
away by the wiser ones, so as to calm their fears, and they 
breathe easier. 

The day of expectation finally arrives. The sun riser 
as usual, and the heavens are clear. *' Now where is old 
Noah's flood ? " is heard from a thousand impious lips. The 
farmer is caring for his herds and lands, and the mechanic 
is pursuing his work of building. On this very day, some 
are being joined in marriage. With many it is a day of 
unusual feasting and sports. And while all are looking to 
long years of future prosperity and happiness, suddenly the 
heavens gather blackness. Fear fills every heart. The win- 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. o\J 

dews of heaven open, and the rain descends in torrents. 
" The fountains of the great deep are broken up," and here 
and there come gushing up rivers of water. The valleys are 
fast filling up, and thousands are swept away in death. 
Awful death ! made still more horrible by being in conse- 
quence of slighted mercy! But where is Noah? Ah! 
safe in the ark, borne upon the billows. Safe from the 
flood, for God " shut him in." 

By some people, the evidences of the soon coming of 
Christ are considered insufficient to base faith upon. But 
the testimony and acts of one man in the case of Noah, 
condemned the people destroyed by the flood. The evi- 
dences then were sufficient, otherwise the world would not 
have been condemned. But a hundred times more con- 
vincing evidences come pouring in upon us that the day of 
the Lord is near, and hasteth greatly. We follow down 
the several prophetic chains of Daniel and of the Keve- 
lation, and we find ourselves in every instance standing just 
before the day of wrath. We see the signs spoken of by 
prophets, by Christ, and by the apostles, fulfilling or ful- 
filled. And at the right time, and in the right manner, to 
fulfill certain prophecies, a solemn message arises in different 
parts of the world: "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and 
sound an alarm in my holy mountain ; let all the inhabitants 
of the land tremble ; for the day of the Lord cometh.^ 
for it is nigh at hand." Joel 2 : 1. Wherever we look, 
we see prophecy fulfilling. While the knowledge of God 
and the spirit of holiness are departing, spiritual wickedness, 
like a flood, covers the land. 

But these evidences are considered insufficient to rest 
faith upon. Well, what kind of evidence would the unbe- 
lieving have? "When the signs of the end,'' says the 
skeptic, "are fulfilled, they will be so plain that no one 



90 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

can doubt." But if the signs are of such a nature, and are 
fulfilled in such a manner, as to compel all to believe in 
the coming of Christ, how can it be as it was in the days 
of Noah ? Men were not then compelled to believe. But 
eight believing souls were saved, while all the world be- 
sides sank in their unbelief beneath the waters of the flood. 
God has never revealed his truth to man in a manner to 
compel him to believe. Those who have wished to doubt 
his word, have found a wide field in which to doubt, and 
a broad road to perdition ; while those who have wished 
to believe, have ever found an everlasting rock upon 
which to rest their faith. 

Just before the end, the world will be hardened in sin, 
and indifferent to the claims of God. Men will be careless 
in regard to the warnings of danger, and blinded bj cares, 
pleasures, and riches. An unbelieving generation will be 
eating, drinking, marrying, building, planting, and sowing. 
It is right to eat and drink to sustain nature, but the sin is 
in excess and gluttony. The marriage covenant is holy, 
but God's glory is seldom thought of. Building, plant- 
ing, and sowing, necessary for convenient shelter, food, 
and clothing, are right; but the world has gone wholly 
after these things, so that men have no time nor disposi- 
tion to think of God, heaven, Christ's coming, and the 
Judgment. This world is their god, aud all their energies 
of body and mind are made to serve it. And the evil 
day is put far away. 

The faithful watchman who sounds the alarm as ho 
sees destruction coming, is held up before the people from 
the pulpits of our land, and by the religious press, as a 
fanatic, a teacher of dangerous heresies; while in contrast 
is set forth a long period of peace and prosperity to the 
church. So the churches are quieted to sleep. The scof- 



AI^ EXPOSITIQI!^ OF MATTHEW TWEXTY-FOUE. 91 

fer continues to scoff, and the mocker mocks on. But that 
day is coming. Thus saith the prophet of God : — 

"Howl ye ; for the day of the Lord is at hand ; it shall come as a 
destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, 
and every man's heart shall melt. And they shall be afraid ; pangs 
and sorrows shall take hold of them. . . . Behold, the day of the 
Lord Cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land 
desolate ; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it." Isa. 
13 : 6-9. 

Most dreadful day ! and is it near ? — Yes ; it hasteth ! 
It hasteth greatly ! What a description given by the 
prophet! Read it; and as you read, try to realize how 
dreadful will be that day : — 

"The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, 
even the voice of the day of the Lord : the mighty man shall cry there 
bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a 
day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a 
day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm 
against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will 
bring disti'ess upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because 
they have sinned against the Lord ; and their blood shall be poured 
out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor 
their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's 
wrath ; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jeal- 
ousy ; for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell 
in the land." Zeph. 1:14-18. 

PEACE AND SAFETY. 

The attitude of the religious world toward this most 
important subject is worthy of more than passing notice 
both because of its effect upon the cause of truth and also 
because it of itself is a sign of the times. While it is 
true that many individuals in the different Christian de- 
nominations recognize with more or less distinctness the 
fact that we are living in the last days, with many of these 



A]^^ EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 93 

it does not become a practical truth. Outside of these 
there are maiij who ridicule the idea as preposterous and 
outlandish ; and in opposition to the message that Christ 
is soon coming, raise the cry of, "Peace, peace, when 
there is no peace." Such teaching is alluded to by the 
prophet in Eze. 13 : 10, 11. 

The groundwork of the peace and safety cry is the 
doctrine of the temporal millennium. This teaches that 
the world is now entering, or about to enter upon a period 
of universal peace and good will, that the moral tone of 
the world is improving, men and nations are learning 
righteousness; and the gospel of Christ is about to become 
the controlling principle in public and private life. And, 
further, this happy state will continue for one thousand 
years, which period of time the word millennium literally 
signifies. At the end of that time, perhaps, the Lord 
will come. However, if this doctrine be true, it will 
make but little difference to this generation or to the 
one living at the close of the period whether he does or 
not. The verses we have just considered which liken the 
last days to those of 'Noah wholly disprove this position. 
In addition to what Matthew states, Luke gives a still 
more forcible version of our Saviour's words : — 

**And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days 
of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they 
were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 
and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was 
in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, 
they planted, they builded ; but the same day that Lot went out of 
Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them 
all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." 
Luke 17: 26-30. 

Paul writes in his epistles to Timothy as follows ; — 



94 HIS GLOEious appearing: 

"Now tlie Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some 
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines 
of devils." 1 Tim. 4:1. 

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, 
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural 
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers 
of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures 
more than lovers of God ; having a form of godliness, but denying the 
power thereof : from such turn away." 2 Tim. 3 : 1-5. 

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, 
and being deceived." Verse 13. 

In very many scriptures it is plainly declared that when 
Christ comes, he comes not only to reward and save his 
people but also to punish his enemies. Looking upon the 
last days he exclaims, '' Nevertheless when the Son of man 
Cometh, shall he find faith on the earth ? " Luke 18 : 8. 
The idea of a thousand years of peace and righteousness 
before <]hrist comes might be dismissed as utterly out of 
the question. But space will be given to one or two passages 
supposed to teach it, which will represent the whole class. 
The first and chief is found in Isa. 2 : 2-4 : — 

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the 
Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall 
be exalted above the hills ; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many 
people shall go and say. Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of 
the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of 
his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth 
the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall 
judge among the nations, and sball rebuke many people: and they 
shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into 
pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither 
shall they learn war any more." 

Almost the same language is used in Micah 4 : 1-3. 
It is enough to call attention to the authorship of the 



A2^ EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWEXTY-FOUE. 95 

propositions contained in the text. They come from the 
people. "Many people shall go and say, Come ye," etc. 
Inspiration asserts that in the last days the mountain or 
power of the Lord's house or church shall be established - 
in the tops of the mountains, or civ^il power. Undoubt- 
edly it will. Ev^erything is tending to the union of Church 
and State ; and the professed church of Christ is riding on 
a high tide to civil power in all lands. But farewell to 
godliness and spiritual power. When this is accomplished, 
in a general chorus all will proclaim the dawning mil- 
lennium. 

How the Lord regards the people who are saying these 
things is shown in the succeeding verses : — 

"Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, 
because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the 
Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers. 
Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of 
their treasures ; their land also is full of horses, neither is there any 
end of their chariots : their land also is full of idols ; they worship the 
work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made." 
Isa. 2 : 6-8. 

Now let us see what God says on the same point and 
concerning the same time : — 

" Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; prepare war, wake up the 
mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat 
your ploughshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let 
the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye 
heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy 
mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened, 
and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge 
all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is 
ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for 
their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of 
decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw 




PEACE ON EARTH- 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 97 

their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his 
voice from Jerusalem; and the hearens and the earth shall shake: but 
the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children 
of Israel/* Joel 3: 9-16 

Mark, this is not what the people saj, but what the Lord 
says of the very same time when the people are preaching 
a good time coming. 

Another verse referred to, and representing quite a 
numerous class of similar ones, is found in Num. 14 : 21. 

"But as truly as I live, all the earth shall bo filled with the glory 
of the Lord." 

There is no occasion to modify or limit the meaning of 
those words ; for their utmost significance will be realized. 
But when? — When sin and the curse are wiped away. 
After the purifying fires of the day of the Lord have 
burned up the last work and relic of rebellion, and the 
earth made new in Edenic glory comes again from the 
hand of its Maker, as beautiful, yea, more beautiful, if 
possible, than at first. It would not be within the limits 
of this pamphlet to follow out this subject, but the reader 
is referred to the following scriptures : Isa. 65 : 17-22 ; 
2 Peter 3 : 13 ; Kevelation 21 and 22, and to published 
works. ^ 

In that state this and all kindred scriptures will meet 
a fulfillment that is ample and complete. But for such a 
condition of things this side of the coming of Christ 
neither the Bible nor the trend of events give any promise 
whatever. 

Judging of the probability of the conversion of the world 
from the facts, it would seem to be far from striking. The 
following table gives a comparatively accurate showing of 
the present religious status of the world : — 

^ " Our Paradise Home." Address publishers of this book. 
7 



yy HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

Jews and Parsees 15,470,000 

Greek Catholics 84,136,000 

Protestants 114,815,500 

Brahmiiiical Hindoos 120,000,000 

Mohammedans , 122,400,000 

Roman Catholics 255,000,000 

Pagans 227,000,000 

Buddhists , 482,000.000 

Unclassified , 51,050,000 

ConcerniBg the very small proportion of this number 
classed in the list of Christians, Bishop Foster has very 
aptly said : — 

"There are some who too fondly anticipate a millennium. There 
is a lack of information on the progress of Christianity. The facts are 
misstated daily in pulpits all over the country. Ministers hesitate to 
present the worst side for fear of causing discouragement, and they 
create hopes that are never realized. We are not at the dawn of a 
millennium. Compared with the work to be done, the past is nothing. 
Our children's children for ten generations to come must labor harder 
than we are doing, to accomplish the conversion of the world. The 
world's population is 1,500,000,000. Of these, Christians number less 
than a third; and half of that third belongs to the Roman Catholic 
Church. The Protestants number 114,000,000. They are divided into 
500 sects. And this number of their strength includes, also, all the 
thieves, ex-convicts, the debased, besotted, and the speckled and streaked 
in Christendom." — Northwestern Christian Advocate of Dec. 2, 1885. 

Farther on in the same article the Bishop said : — 

''Before us we have the great problem — the 1,100,000,000 of pa- 
gans to convert to Christianity. That is the solid rock that looms up in 
our path. Look at it; see what work has been done in 1800 years, and 
how much is yet to be accomplished. In India, after more than a 
hundred years of mission work, we have 600,000 native converts and 
2,000,000 Christians among 260,000,000 neathen. Can we remove that 
solid boulder that is as old as the hills? . . Our Methodist Church we 
think the most divine and ineffable. We boast that we are going to con- 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 



99 



quer the world, and come from our palaces and princely farms to sub- 
scribe fifty cents a head for the undertaking I It is a burning disgrace 
that excites pity and disgust." 

And as to the prospects for universal peace, the follow- 
ing recent statement of the armament of Europe does not 
indicate that the nations are really contemplating such a 
happy consummation : — 



Nation. 


1869. 


1898. 


Russia 


1,199,996' 
977,226 
822,472 
251,722 
825,696 


5,093,816 


Germany 

Austria 

England 


5,014,842 

2,500,000 

800800 


France 


5,014,842 



The remaining States of Europe make up with the above a total of 
about 24,760,150 men in 1898. 

THE FINAL SEPARATION. 

Verses 40, 41 : "Then shall two be in the field ; the one shall 
be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; 
the one shall be taken, and the other left." 

This language shows the final separation between the 
righteous and the wicked. There is no elaborate explana- 
tion as to how the circumsiances will meet their fulfillment, 
bat that is not the essential force of the text. The line will 
in some cases be drawn between those who are intimately 
related. Some members of the same family will be taken 
away by the judgments of God, while others will be left 
to receive their coming Lord. 

THOSE WHO WATCH WILL KNOW THE TIME. 

Verses 42-44: "Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour 
your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the 



100 HIS GLORIOUS APPEAPaNG: 

house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have 
"patched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 
Therefore be ye also ready ; for in such an hour as ye think not the 
Son of man cometh.** 

The injunction to watchfulness is repeatedly given bj 
our Saviour in connection with his teaching in reference 
to his second advent. These injunctions must apply es- 
pecially to those who live in proximity to that event. This 
fact is convincing evidence that the Lord is not displeased 
with those who anticipate his coming, and study the word 
in reference to it. No one watches for that which he does 
not expect, and indifference or aversion toward the com- 
ing of Christ is sure evidence of coldness toward Christ 
himself. If we love Jesus, we shall love his appearing ; and 
if we love his appearing, we shall be eagerly watching and 
waiting for it. But if we knew the hour when he would 
come, we should not watch for his coming, nor could we 
with eagerness expect his coming if we had no knowledge 
of its approach. The course of time has been measured off 
in definite periods down to the beginning of the present 
generation. The time from the end of the prophetic periods 
to the coming of Christ is emphatically the waiting, watch- 
ing time. Those who watch, as our Lord commands, will 
eventually know the time. No man will make it known, for 
it is not revealed to man in the Scriptures. Angels will 
not make it known, though they may minister to, and com- 
municate with, the children of men. Neither will the Son. 
But the Father will make it known when he speaks again 
from heaven. 

It is undoubtedly true that the unscriptural and irra- 
tional course pursued by many so-called Adventists in 
repeatedly setting a time of their own for the Lord to 
come has had the effect to disgust many with the whole 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 101 

matter. This is the enemy's work. He will seek thus to 
obscure each truth by bringing it into the shadow of re- 
proach. But it is unwise to be thus misled. Probably 
there is no prophecy that better describes the present state 
of unbelief in the world in regard to the second advent, 
caused partly by fanatical time-movements, than the follow- 
ing:— 

"Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of 
Israel, saying. The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? Tell 
them therefore. Thus saith the Lord God: I will make this proverb to 
cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say 
unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. For 
there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within 
the house of Israel. For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word 
that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged, 
for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will 
perform it, saith the Lord God." Eze. 12:22-25. 

Thv burden of this prophecy is time ; therefore the 
word here mentioned that the Lord will speak, will be 
the time. Rev. 3 : 3, is also to the point : — 

"Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and 
hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come 
on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come 
upon thee." 

Those who do not watch, will not know the hour. 
Those who watch will know the hour. 

The present watching, waiting position requires much 
faith and patience. Says Paul : — 

"Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which hath great rec- 
ompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye 
have done the will of God [in proclaiming the coming of Christ], ye 
might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall 
come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: 



102 HIS GLOEious appeariistg: 

but if any man draw back, my soul shall liave no pleasure in him. 
But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them 
that believe to the saving of the soul." Heb. 10 : 35-39. 

Says James: "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto 
the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman wait 
eth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long 
patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 
Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts; for the coming of 
the Lord draweth nigh." James 5:7, 8. 

Jesus says: "Because thou hast kept the word of my 
patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of tempta- 
tion, which shall come upon all the world to try them that 
dwell upjn the earth." Eev. 3:10. 

The present position and present duty of God's people 
are defined in Eev. 14:12: "Here is the patience of the 
saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, 
and the faith of Jesus. 

THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT. 

Verses 45-47: "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom 
his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due 
season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall 
find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler 
over all his goods." 

In this figure, Christ is represented as the Lord of the 
household of faith (see Mark 13 : 35 ; Heb. 3 : 6), leaving 
his house, and committing the work of caring for his 
church to his servants. A blessing is promised those serv- 
ants who are found faithfully discharging this duty when 
their Lord comes. They are to feed the flock of God, 
over whom the Holy Ghost hath made them overseers. 
Acts 20 : 28. They must preach the word. 2 Tim. 4 : 2. 
They should watch for souls as they that must give ac- 



A:N EXPOSITIOiq^ OF MATTHEW TWEIiTTY-EOUR. 103 

count. Heb. 13 : IT. Tliey will not only give meat to 
the household, but thej will give it in due season. They 
will preach the present truth. 

And meat in due season when Christ's coming draws 
near, will be the gospel of the kingdom. Yerse 14. It 
will embrace warnings, instructions, and encouragements 
pertaining to a message that is designed and adapted to 
prepare the world for so solemn an event. Suppose, for 
a moment, that when Noah had received his message of 
the coming flood to give to the world, he had reasoned 
with worldy wisdom that as such a thing never had oc- 
curred, and from all appearances seemed very unlikely to 
occur, and hence to preach it would subject him to re- 
proach, it would be better to avoid any particular allusion 
to such an unwelcome subject. His preaching seemed to 
excite only ridicule. He could retain his own private 
convictions and preach the ordinary principles of right- 
eousness, saying, "Do not so, my brethren." And if the 
people were only prepared for the flood, that would be all 
that would be necessary. Of such a coarse we can say 
two things. He would thus have proved very unfaithful 
to his trust, and the blood of his fellow-men would have 
been upon him ; and he would have done just as thousands 
are doing now. He certainly would not have represented 
the faithful and wise servant. So it is now. A solemn 
responsibility is placed upon the watchmen: — 

"Son of man, speak .o the cliildren of thy people. Bad say unto 
them, When I bring the sword upoa a land, if the people oi the land 
take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman : if when 
he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and 
warn the people ; then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, 
and takelh not warning ; if the sword come, and take him away, his 
blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the 
trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But 



104 HIS GLORIOUS appeaking: 

he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman 
see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not 
warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, 
he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the 
watchman's hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watch- 
man unto the house of Israel ; therefore thou shalt hear the word at 
my mouth, and warn them from me." Eze. 33:2-7. 

When Jesus comes, the faithful servants will be found 
proclaiming his coming and teaching the necessary prepara- 
tion. The Saviour speaks of such as "faithful and wise." 

1. He is faithful. As a faithful watchman, he will 
give timely warning when he sees the sword coming. 
His work just before the end, is seen in the following 
scriptures : — 

"Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy 
mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of 
the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Joel 2 : 1. 

"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show 
my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." 
Isa. 58 : 1. 

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, 
who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his king- 
dom. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, 
rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time 
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their 
own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 
and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned 
unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure aflaictions, do the 
work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." 2. Tim. 4:1-5. 

2. He is wise. ''He that winneth souls is wise." He 
must be wise. He will hold forth the truth in its harmony 
and beauty, and thus expose error and win men to the 
truth. When it becomes his duty to "reprove and re- 
buke," it will be at a proper time and place, and then 
with all "long-suffering and doctrine." He will study to 



AN EXPOSITION" OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR. 105 

show himself ' ' approved unto God, a workman that need- 
eth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 
2 Tim. 2 : 15. 

THE EVIL SERVANT. 

Verses 48-51 : " But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, 
My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow- 
servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that serv- 
ant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour 
that he is not aware of; and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him 
his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing 
of teeth." 

What the evil servant says and does, shows most clearly 
the position and work of the faithful and wise servant. The 
evil servant says, ''My lord delayeth his coming," be- 
cause the faithful servant is proclaiming the coming of 
his lord. The evil servant smites the faithful servant, be- 
cause he teaches the soon coming of his Lord. The faith- 
ful servant, true to his commission to preach the "gospel 
of the kingdom " to a fallen church and a scoffing world, 
toils on, and for this the evil servant smites him. Not with 
the fist, perhaps, but with the tongue of obloquy and re- 
proach. That there should be professed servants of Christ 
engaged in smiting those who are faithfully warning the 
world, need not cause surprise in view of the past, but 
must cause sorrow in the heart of every lover of truth. 
The wicked servant says in heart, and some are saying with 
their lips, The Lord is not coming. The world is now just 
starting out upon its career of knowledge and enjoyment. 
Where is the promise or indication of his coming? Some 
say, He may come to-night, he may not come in a million 
years, thus neutralizing the truth. Such men will be found 
criticising and discounting the Scriptures and subjecting 
them to the tests of human philosophy and science. The 



106 



HIS GLOEious appeaking: 



only safety for the people is to look beyond such watch- 
men. Let them take the Bible for themselves, and there 
discerning the truth, embrace it, and live according to it. 



CONCLUSION. 

Having now scanned the chapter which in its peculiar 
characteristic is the most remarkable one in the Bible, it is 
appropriate to take a review and again glance over the 
ground we have passed, in order to form into their logical 
groups the facts we have learned. 

Our Saviour came to earth at one of its darkest periods. 
The Jewish people, the special custodians of the truth, had 
proved unfaithful to their trust. Instead of helping forward 
the cause of God, they were its greatest impediment. They 
maintained a form of godliness, but their power was from 
beneath. Walking in the midst of darkness so dense, the 
Light of the world shone forth with unwonted clearness. 
That light shed its rays all around. It illuminated that age, 
and displayed the deformities of that time. It revealed to 
men the path of truth, and showed them how far they had 
strayed therefrom. That light shone upon the past. Under 
its bright gleam, the Scriptures assumed living features ; 
the prophecies became things of fact ; the law received the 
spirit of a new life. Abraham, Moses, Daniel, and all the 
holy men of the past, who lived no longer in the hearts and 
lives of their professed children, were called to a new life in 
the disciples of Jesus. 

Not only so, but the Light of the world shone also for 
the future. Christ Jesus beheld the end as well as the be- 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUE. 107 

ginning. He was Alpha and Omega. To his mind all was 
clear. He spoke ot the future as one who not only knew of 
its events, but controlled them, subject to the will of the 
Father. He spoke of his second advent to earth in the 
plainest and most unequivocal language. His statements 
and promises leave no room for doubt in the mind of any 
one who believes that Jesus taught the truth. " I go," said 
he, " to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare 
a place for you, I will come again, and receive yoa unto 
myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." If plainer, 
simpler, more direct language should be called for, it could 
not be found. The angels comforted the sorrowing disciples 
with these words as Jesus was taken up from them into 
heaven: "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you 
into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen 
him go into heaven." 

At the time the discourse which opens with Matthew 
twenty-four was given, an idea of Christ's second coming 
more or less vague was entertained by the disciples. They 
had heard the Master speak of it, though their hearts were 
engrossed with other thoughts and prospects. But when, 
emerging from the temple precincts, the disciples spoke of 
the permanency and grandeur of those buildings, the Master 
at once sought to correct their impressions by telling them 
that of all the things they saw about them, which to them 
appeared so massive, so strong, as to defy the ravages of 
time and destruction, nothing should remain in the destruc- 
tion that was then approaching. The disciples could only 
repress their astonishment until they were seated on the 
Mount of Olives, overlooking the temple they had just left. 

'' Tell us," they exclaim, "when shall these things be? 
and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of 
the world ? " Two distinct questions are here propounded, 






xo8 ALL HIS HOLY ANGELS WITH HIM. 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWEITTY-FOUE. 109 

whether the disciples regarded them so or not. "^ When 
shall these things be ? " The things of which he had spoken, 
the time when there should not be left one stone upon an- 
other that should not be thrown down. And, ' ' What shall 
be the sign of thy coming^ and of the end of the world ? " 
The Sav^iour treats these questions separately, giving two 
distinct replies. To his mind the destruction of Jerusalem 
was one event, and his second coming was quite another. 
The first was to take place before that generation should 
pass away. The signs which were premonitory of the 
destruction of Jerusalem were to come to that generation 
which would witness the destruction. And so in the other 
case, the signs of Jesus' immediate coming are given to the 
generation which shall witness the event. 

There were in those two events some points of analogy. 
Jerusalem was to be destroyed at the close of a dispensation 
of great light and privileges because that light and those 
privileges had all been abused by those to whom they came. 
The same will be true to a more complete degree when Jesus 
comes to save his faithful few and destroy his enemies. The 
destruction of Jerusalem brought a period of distress and 
anguish, the equal of which past history furnished no par- 
allel. But a far greater depth of misery awaits those upon 
whom the wrath of God finally falls. Thus, in a measure, 
the destruction which awaited Jerusalem was typical of the 
final destruction of all the works of man. Between the two 
events lay the Christian dispensation with its varied experi- 
ences in the controversy between light and darkness. 

According to the record, Christ proceeded at once to 
answer the questions propounded by his disciples. He did 
not begin by reproving them for their inquisitiveness, and 
telling them not to trouble themselves about such matters, 
but to preach the gospel and let the prophecies and the 



110 HIS GLORIOUS appeasing: 

future alone. He does very properly caution them against 
being deceived by men, a caution which we will still do well 
to heed. There is danger of being deceived on every hand. 
There is danger of becoming fanatical and unreasonable in 
the use of the word of God. There is danger of going to 
the other extreme of conservatism and unbelief. There are. 
those who would lead us into each of these errors ; and it 
apparently satisfies the great deceiver to have us in either. 
Let us avoid them both. Neither the cold-hearted professor 
nor the hot-headed fanatic are safe guides. He who spake 
these words is the only Christ, tlie only teacher. In follow- 
ing him, we are safe. Believing in him, we shall never be 
put to confusion. 

At his first glance forward, the Master took in the entire 
Christian dispensation. The words contained in verses ^ve 
to fourteen give in epitome the experience which lay before 
the church of Cnrist to the end of time. There would be 
deception, war, and disturbance. There would be persecu- 
tion, unfaithfulness, apostasy. There would be a declension 
in spiritual zeal and power and a time of peril. But he that 
should endure the test to the end, should be saved. During 
this time, the gospel work will go forward, and at last the 
gospel of the kingdom shall be carried to all the world. 
Every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall hear the 
joyful news of Christ's coming kingdom. To all the high- 
ways, byways, and hedges, the invitation of lingering mercy 
will go, — to the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind, 
— and they will be brought in, that the feast may be fur- 
nished with guests. Then shall the end come. 

Through all these experiences the people of God have 
already passed ; and the last feature of the gospel work is 
being rapidly accomplished. The missionary zeal of Chris- 
tendom has been nobly manifested in the last century. The 






AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUK. Ill 

Bible is being sent to those of every tongue ; the knowledge 
of the Redeemer is being carried to every nation. It is not 
stated nor even implied that all to whom the gospel is 
preached will accept it. No ; far from it. Only a few will 
be saved. The prophet Isaiah describes this last gospel work 
as the '' shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes 
when the vintage is done." Isa. 24:13. And again he 
writes: ''Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the 
shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top 
of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful 
branches thereof, saith the Lord God of Israel." Isa. IT : 6. 
General wickedness as in the days of Noah and of 
Sodom shall prevail on the earth. Crime and sin, unbelief 
and unrighteousness, shall be everywhere manifested ; but 
the Lord will have a remnant, and these the gospel of the 
kingdom will gather out of every nation. The messages that 
comprise this closing work are given in Eev. 14 : 6-12 : — 

** And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the 
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to 
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud 
voice, Fear God, and give glory to him ; for the hour of his judgment 
is come : and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and 
the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, 
Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations 
drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel 
followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast 
and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or In his hand, the 
same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out 
without mixture into the cup of Ms indignation j and he shall be tor- 
mented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and 
in the presence of the Lamb : and the smoke of their torment ascendeth 
up forever and ever : and they have no rest day nor night, who worship 
the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 
Here is the patience of the saints ; here are they that keep the com 
mandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.'* 



112 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

For fifty years these messages have been proclaimed, 
beginning with the great advent awakening in 1844:. At 
that time the world was deeply moved by the message of 
Christ's soon coming. It is true that human zeal went be- 
yond the word of God and set the day for Christ to come. 
Disappointment necessarily followed, and the mistake has 
been repeated by some, but the work of God has gone 
steadily forward from that time. There are those who, 
while not setting the time, believe that Jesus' coming is 
near, even at the door. They believe that the hour of the 
investigative judgment has come. They teach obedience to 
the commandments of God, and faith in Jesus Christ as a 
means of preparation for his coming. This work is being 
prosecuted in all parts of the earth, and is rapidly reaching 
every nation. Thus the way of the end is being prepared, 
and though it seems to tarry, ''yet a little while, and he 
that shall come will come, and will not tarry." 

Having thus gone over the dispensation, the great 
Teacher now takes up the first question, and gives the signs 
of the destruction of Jerusalem. He does not say, " In the 
year 70 a Koman army commanded by a general named 
Titus shall besiege the city and take it." He leaves room 
for faith and vigilance to exhibit themselves. He leaves 
with his immediate followers the duty and privilege of 
studying his words and perceiving the truth. He leaves 
with them and all the world the alternative to believe or 
to reject his warning. It was left with that generation 
as it is with this, to accept the warning, believe the divine 
message, and be saved, or to reject and cast it aside, and 
be lost. 

While Jesus did not speak in the most literal terms, 
there was on the other hand no deep or mysterious figures 
of speech employed. "When ye therefore shall see the 



AN EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUK. 113 

abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, 
stand in the holj place, (whoso readeth, let him under- 
stand : ) then let them which be in Judea flee into the moun- 
tains." The prophet had already spoken of the same thing ; 
and Jesus referred his hearers to what had been written. 
Let them read and understand. The prophecies were given 
to be read and understood. Says the Spirit of God through 
the Kevelator: '' Blessed is he that readeth, and they that 
hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things 
which are written therein." The same blessing applies to 
every portion of the prophetic word. Our blessed Saviour 
in giving the tokens of coming events, referred almost 
entirely to those which the prophets had already given. 

Luke's rendering of this passage is perhaps a little less 
obscure to the casual reader. It is as follows : " And when 
ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know 
that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which 
are in Judea flee to the mountains." But to the student of 
prophecy there is no obscurity in Matthew's version ; for the 
marginal reading of Dan . 9 : 27 to which our Saviour refers 
his hearers, says: *'And upon the battlements shall be the 
idols of the desolator," indicating the same condition of 
siege which Luke mentions directly. 

It must have been perfectly clear to the minds of the 
disciples that this admonition referred directly and solely to 
the destruction of Jerusalem, not to the end of the world ; 
for in that day there will be no safety in fleeing to the 
mountains. Nearly forty years after this, Jerusalem was 
encompassed with the Roman armies. The disciples did 
flee to the mountains, the city was captured, the temple 
completely destroyed, after the people had passed through 
the most terrible ordeal of suffering recorded in history. 
Thus was fulfilled in that generation the things which per- 



114 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

tained to it, and the first question, *'When shall these things 
be ? " was answered. 

Again our Saviour passes down through the dispensa- 
tion. Speaking of the great period of tribulation through 
which his people were to pass, and of the great deceptions 
which were to come upon the world after the tribulation, he 
passes quickly to the circumstances more immediately con- 
nected with his second coming. This event is not to be of 
a secret or private character. It will neither take place in 
the desert nor in the secret chamber. He will not come 
unheralded nor unobserved, but as the lightning flash in 
the east glares to the west so shall his coming be. *' Every 
eye shall see him." His voice resounding through the 
heavens shall reach the uttermost parts of the earth and 
arouse the sleeping dead. The earth shall shake and trem- 
ble as he approaches, and none will be at a loss to know 
what is taking place. 

Immediately after the tribulation of the 1260 days the 
sun would be darkened. This tribulation practically coming 
to a close in 1760, the sun was darkened in May, 1780. By 
far the most remarkable shower of falling stars took place 
fifty-three years later. Both these signs were, at the time 
of their occurrence, regarded as fulfilling our Saviour's 
prediction. And occurring as they did just at the point of 
time indicated by the prophecy, we have every reason to 
regard them as being the very signs foretold by our Saviour. 
Other signs are mentioned by Luke in the same connection, 
as follows : * ' There shall be signs in the sun, and in the 
moon, and in the stars ; and upon the earth distress of 
nations, with perplexity ; the sea and the waves roaring ; 
men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after 
those things which are coming on the earth : for the 
powers of heaven shall be shaken." These words point out 



AN EXPOSITION" OF MATTHEW TWENTY-EOUE. 115 

great disturbance in the elements, unusual storms by sea 
and land, destruction of life and property. Our minds are 
appalled by the unusual and terrible devastations caused by 
the unruly elements in all parts of the earth, indicating quite 
unmistakably that we have come to the period spoken of by 
our Lord. 

This state of things together with the uncertainty and dis- 
quietude of the social and political world, cause men to look 
into the future with serious apprehension. But while men 
of the world may be perplexed and troubled about the omi- 
nous outlook, our Saviour says to his people : ' ' When these 
things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your 
heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. ^* 

Then follows that striking illustration of the fig tree. 
As the budding trees surely predict the coming summer, so 
do these things surely foretell the coming Saviour. When 
these things come to pass, that event will be ''near, even at 
the door.'' So much, we may hnow. There is no guess- 
work about it to him who believes the words of Christ. But 
more than that we do not know, for " of that day and hour 
knoweth no man." This is enough to know, and it is far 
better as it is than that our knowledge should be more 
definite. 

After speaking of those events in the natural world, which 
would herald his coming, our Lord drew a picture of the moral 
condition which would prevail in the last days, likening them 
unto the days of Noah. The destruction which then overtook 
the world was in consequence of the hopeless wickedness of 
the people. They would not heed the warning graciously sent 
them, and refused to heed the counsels of [N'oah. Even so 
shall it be in the last days. While the message of warning 
and invitation is being sounded, the great mass of men will 
press on in their worldly pursuits ; perhaps pausing a mo- 



116 HIS GLORIOUS APPEARING. 

ment to listen, perhaps assenting to the truth, or it may be 
scofl&ng and mocking. Thus it will be to the very close of 
probation. The coming oi ihe day of the Lord will be to 
the great mass of mankind as the coming of a thief in the 
night, notwithstanding all the wiarnings that have been 
given and all the signs that have been foretold. As the 
people in the days of "Noah and of Lot refused to receive 
the warning sent by divine mercy, so will the people of the 
last days pass on unheeding. "But ye, brethren," writes 
the apostle, ''are not in darkness, that that day should over- 
take you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and 
the children of the day." 

Understanding this condition as we do, if we are over- 
taken unawares, it will be through our own neglect and not 
because the Lord has failed to do his part in giving us a 
faithful notice. 

The last paragraph of this most interesting chapter be- 
ginning with verse forty-two should be studied with a spe- 
cial care, because it contains our Saviour's application of his 
own solemn discourse. *' Watch therefore: for ye know 
not what hour your Lord doth come." And again, "There- 
fore be ye also, ready ; for in such an hour as ye think not 
the Son of man cometh." From this we get the idea that 
there is danger that those who profess to be looking for his 
glorious appearing, will be looking beyond the actual time 
and thus be taken unawares. Observation also teaches us 
that this will be the case. Not all who profess to love 
Christ, love his appearing. Many who say they love him, 
love to have him a long way off. They do not long for his 
presence. The world is too dear to them ; they prefer to 
enjoy its pleasures rather than to have Jesus come and thus 
cut off their plans. But it must be evident to all that those 
who really love Jesus will love his appearing ; they will 



AJSr EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW TWEITTY-FOUE. 117 

rejoice in the prospect of his soon coming ; they will strive 
to be ready to receive him when he comes. 

The chapter closes with woids of admonition to those 
who teach the word and stand as watchmen before the peo- 
ple. It is important that the faithful watchman be ready to 
receive the word from the Lord, that he present it to the 
people in its purity. A solemn responsibility rests upon 
the minister thus to deal faithfully for his ilaster aud with 
his flock. ''Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom 
his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them 
meat in due season ? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord 
when ho cometh shall find so doing." We have already 
Been that meat in due season when the Lord comes will be 
the message of his coming. Hence we see that Jesus pro- 
nounces a blessing upon those who preach the news of the 
second advent at the proper time. This fact ought to si- 
lence the tongue of reproach so frequently directed against 
those who are faithfully calling the attention of the people 
to the signs of the times, and to the necessity of preparing 
for those things that are soon to come upon the earth. 

In many places the name of *' Adventist " has become a 
term of obloquy. Partly, it is true, through the inconsistent 
course of those who profess to believe in the near coming of 
Christ, and who set the time for the event ; but mostly on 
account of the prejudice which prevails against the doctrine 
of Christ's return to earth in any form. To such, the sol- 
emn warning of our Saviour should come with very great 
*Drce. " But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, 
Jtty lord delay eth his coming ; and shall begin to smite his 
^llow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken ; 
the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he 
looketh not for him, , . . and appoint him his portion 
with the hypocrites." From the above language we learn 



118 HIS GLORIOUS appearing: 

how our Saviour regards the proclamation of bis second 
coming. The apostle Paul writes to the Hebrews : '* And 
unto them that look for him shall he appear the second 
time without sin unto salvation." To Timothy he writes at 
the close of his ministry : *' Henceforth there is laid up for 
u:e a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous 
judge, shall give me at that day : and not to me only, but 
unto all them Jso that love his appearing." To Titus he 
writes that the people of God should be "looking for that 
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God 
and of our Saviour Jesus Christ." The oft-repeated injunc- 
tion of our Saviour to watch and be ready when he should 
come shows clearly that he desires his people to be looking 
for and expecting him when he shall return. 

Great will be the joy and satisfaction of those who, after 
long and patient waiting, at last see the fruition of thoir 
hopes, as the sign of the coming of the Son of man appears 
in view. - With what joy, what unspeakable rapture will 
they witness his approach, as they realize that the struggle 
with sin and all of its evil consequences is forever over. 
Behind them is earth with its thorny pathways, its bitterness 
and toil, its disappointments, and its blessings. Before them 
is an eternity in the presence of him whom they love, for 
whom they have waited, and in whom they have trusted. 

But it is true that the grand event will not be attended 
with joy alone. There will be dismaj^ and anguish. For 
while one prophet records the exclamations of joyful an- 
ticipation, another has foreseen and recorded the cry of 
despair. *' And the kings of the earth, and the great men, 
and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty 
men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid them- 
selves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains ; and 
said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from 



AT5" EXPOSITIOIS" OF MATTHEW TWEISTTY-FOUR. 



119 



the face of Him that sltteth on the throne, and from the 
wrath of the Lamb : for the great day of his wrath is come ; 
and who shall be able to stand ? " Rev. 6 : 15-lT. A vast 
number will thus lament. All who cannot join the shout of 
welcome will unite in the wail of despair. There will be but 
two classes in that day. And to one of those classes each 
one living will belong. To which shall I belong ? Solemn 
question. To which party will you belong, reader? No 
one can wait for Christ who is not prepared for his coming. 
Only the precious blood of Jesus that cleanses from sin can 
prepare us to receive him and fit us to dwell in his presence. 
Have you an interest in his forgiving love ? Is your peace 
made with God ? If so, his coming will have no terror to 
you, for he comes to save his waiting people. 




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